Good Art Essay

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George Orwell once said “On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.” However, one might ask, “What is good?” and follow with “What is bad?” The dilemma that is presented is one that may seem inescapable, even insoluble. Such questions have always raised serious issues throughout human civilization in some form, whether as a subject of inquisition or as an item of political infighting. The real question is, does ethics tend to limit our methods available in the production of knowledge because of its subjective nature? To a certain extent, yes. In both the arts and the natural sciences, ethical boundaries limit how knowledge can be gained through conflicting arguments on what is morally acceptable and this can lead to the subjection a stalemate and in some cases even regression.
We can say that there are many different forms of art and at least one form can be found in any one culture (art of one form or another can be found in all cultures) but what makes “good art” good, and what qualifies art to be considered non art? First we must look at the general criteria for what makes “art”, art: the intentions of the artist (to create aesthetically pleasing work), the quality of the work, and the response of the viewers. However, not every person thinks/analyzes the same or has the same opinion and this is why we can never truly determine its definition. For example, some people may look at a painting of naked women lying on a bed or a statue of a naked man posing on a stone to be art while others may turn away in disgust. Again, whether or not art is universal, everyone has their own opinions on what they consider art and ethics tends to play a major role in a person’s decision. Nudity is ...

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...it the knowledge that we may gain through the arts. The same can be said involving the natural sciences; even though these sciences tend to be more objective, the subjective nature of ethics can cloud judgement and could prevent progress in that field. For example, if a certain experiment is regarded as unethical and is therefore discontinued, one could say that the chances of making a scientific discovery is also discontinued. On the other hand, if the scientists were allowed to go forward with the experiment and no great conclusions or progress was made, then it could been seen as a waste of time and displeasing. Either way, we can never be completely sure on which side is the “better” side because it is based purely on ethical opinion. Therefore, ethical judgements can limit the methods in the production of knowledge in the both the natural sciences and the arts.

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