Michael - It seems to happen in most highly subjective fields, like alternative medicine, and religion. Often with similar results.
On Sat, Jan 7, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Michael Brady <[email protected]>wrote: > William > > > I can take a walk today and designate whatever strikes my fancy as > > art, whatever it may be, a scrap in the gutter, a new car, a sign in the > shop > > window, a voice I hear, whatever. Why? Because I'm an artist and > whatever > I > > say is art, is art. > > Did I just have a road to Damascus moment? An epiphany? > > Is art (in the broad sense of creative activity) the only realm in which > the > participants get to declare what belongs under the rubric of that > discipline? > Science doesn't. Physicists don't say, "Oh, I declare that a physics > event." > Doctors don't say, "We'll call that medicine" or "anatomy." > > In what other occupation or endeavor does one hear a conversation like: > "That's not X." "Yes it is." "No, it's not. Look at it." "It is because I > say > it is, and I'm a _________er." > > The epiphanic moment isn't that "the artist can declare anything art." > That's > been around for a long time. The "ah-ha" came when I realized that that > behavior occurs in no other activity. Unless I'm having a caffeine-free > moment > and can't think clearly or remember too much, I can't think of any other > area > of human activity--except perhaps games--in which this is happens. > > > | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | > Michael Brady
