We need to begin a thread just to explore William's notion of "as if". Has
he stretched it so far as to make it useless?
But to conclude this one, I'm asserting that it is possible to achieve and
identify the quality of "inevitable and resolved" without reference to any
actual real-world experience outside the experience of the thing itself.
Unfortunately, on this listserv, there's only two of us, William and I, for
whom "inevitable and resolved" is important.
And apparently, when William is determining whether a work feels that way to
him, he's relating the work to some other, real world experiences that he has
had.
But I don't - because I am using the "immersion and tingle" approach so
scorned by Nelson Goodman and his legion of followers.
First I immerse myself in the piece -- then I wait for whatever tingle I'm
going to get.
Sort of like taking a bath -- except that any idiot can step into a bath tub,
but only a few of us can become immersed in a painting or symphony (and maybe
none of us can do so completely)
I won't dispute that aesthetic immersion, just like science and other prosaic
activities, depends upon "as if" thinking -- but there's also a different
kind of mental operation taking place, one that is searching for the spirit of
connectedness (or what Louis Sullivan would call "the character"). It's a
spirit that is unique to every piece, and is not discovered by reference to
anything else.
It stands, or falls, on its own. (or as Louis Sullivan would say, it speaks to
us, all we have to do is listen)
I don't know why there's so much resistance to this approach - other the
psychological fear of losing self, and the lingering anathema against idolatry
and poly-theism that permeates European thought via
Middle-Eastern religions.
And make no mistake about it -- aesthetic immersion is the mother of
idolatry.
..............................................
"I reply that it's not possible to achieve and identify a quality, or a
quantity, without some reference to actual real-world experience, first hand,
second, or hand billionth hand. Everything, even ideas as metaphors, look
like something else (even other metaphors). No exceptions. Ever." (WC)
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