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May 25

The Ecology of Art

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Comprehensive Analysis, Critics and Criticism, Defining Life, Extrapolation
Does Art have to be controversial to be real Art? When does Art slip into Performance and Entertainment? When does Criticism become irrelevant? The purpose of these questions is to tease out answers that hopefully will lead to a better understanding of Art. As long as there has been Artists there have been Critics. But there are other players besides these two players. In addition to Artists and Critics, there are Consumers and Reviewers that appreciate the Art. Each contributes to a delicate ecology. Artists are driven by the need to create Art. At times, Artists will seek feedback on what they create and sometimes that seeking will lead them to simply become Performers. As Performers they derive their feedback in the form of money, ticket sales, fame, etc. For a Performer the Art becomes a means to Performance and at the highest levels, the Performance becomes the Art itself (Cirque du Soleil is prime example of this). Performers and Consumers have thus created a balanced ecology. If the Performers give they Consumers what they want (a good performance or Entertainment), the Consumers will give the Performers what they want (money, accolades). The Art itself becomes a product that is […]

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Oct 11

What the Disabled Community Teaches Us

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 0 comments tags: Extrapolation, Free Enterprise, Human Condition
The movement to integrate peoples with disabilities into mainstream society is rooted in cultural awareness and technological advances that developed after World War II. What I find most fascinating is that the people who are the most physically dependent are actually messengers of a libertarian philosophy that generally runs counter to the values of the larger society. The Independence Living movement believes that everyone is entitled to live as independently as possible regardless of one’s physical capacity, each person should be enabled to exercise maximum control over their lives. It is not independence in a literal sense, but independence in a philosophical sense. The presence of people with disabilities provides a fresh perspective on how we can define what being a person means. People who are completely physically dependent are given control over their own lives to the fullest extent they can have. We have so much more to learn from their example – it can help us to understand life and liberty. The disabled community do not self-identify so strongly with their disability, but with what they are able to do. It is a magical transformation of perspective that all of us stand to benefit from. The hidden challenge […]
May 09

Quantity has a Quality All Its Own

by Chris Billows in Spirit Speculations 2 comments tags: Extrapolation
I understand that the dictator Joseph Stalin was quoted for saying this. Surprising since it really is a such a perceptive quote and he was such a mislead individual. The tyranny, death, and suffering he inflicted upon the people of the old U.S.S.R. is a testimony of the ruthlessness of ideological Communism. Still, it is a fantastic quote as it cuts through the Quality vs Quantity dichotomy. I have believed that Quality and Quantity are two different characteristics, that they were not related, and having more of one usually meant having less of the other. Yet when I think about it in relation to money it makes sense. A $1000 is a bigger quantity than $1. It is also a better quality in relation to what you can do with it. The quality is better because the quantity is more. The same could be said about other multiples such as food, houses, and soldiers (which I assume is what Stalin was referring to) . Quantity at some levels will change the perception of quality. We are starting to see this act itself out in the growing business segment of eCommerce which has taken this to new levels. Chris Anderson’s article […]
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