Virtuosos do incredible things within preset conventions through maximizing technical or mechanical skills. Artists, on the other hand, reveal the staid conventions underlying cultural activity and posit a “solution” of rival conventions.
Links on Culture – November 2022 by W. David Marx
culture
I have been thinking recently about the disconnect between certain political ideologies and the perceived general consensus, or at least an apparent direction of travel of collective thought, and how this disconnect is in a constant state of flux depending on many, many cultural and historical factors. I think, despite everything right now, there is hope for various reasons: but one of these reasons is that there has been a shift – generational, to some extent, though that’s an over-simplification – away from the credibility of striving, and the drive to constantly strive. Instead, people have been reminded of – or introduced to – a concept of life where to achieve notional goals or amass wealth is not the be all and end all. And, as a result, there has been a move to considering how the state might – and should – support those who value the value of life, rather than value of things.