When we started reading this “Knowledge and the Arts,” one thing I kept thinking about mostly was about how quick we are to judge things without really thinking deeply about them. Like for example, the part where the author talks about ice cream made everything easier to understand (p. 8). It shows that people can have different opinions and that doesn’t mean someone is right or wrong. That made me realize that a lot of the time, when we talk about art, we treat our opinion like it’s a fact, when really it’s just what we personally like and we can’t change like everyones ideas to match with yours you know.
Another idea I understood well was that something can be made really well, but that doesn’t always mean it has an important meaning (p. 9). That made me think about things like songs or movies and different types of likes. Sometimes they are really well produced, but after you watch or listen to them, you don’t really remember anything important. That helped me see that art is not just about how good it looks or sounds.
Some questions like
“Who are we?” and “What are we doing?” (p. 9)
also caught my attention. At first, they seemed kind of random, but then I understood that those questions are about life, not just about art. It made me realize that art can make people think about themselves and their decisions, which is something I actually didn’t really connect before.
I also liked the idea that art can still teach something even if it’s not real (p. 10). That made me think about how some fictional stories can feel very real because of the emotions they show. Even if the situation is not true, the feelings are, and that’s what makes it important and more kind like unique.
In general, this reading made me change in some way how I see art. Before, I just thought it was about what you like or don’t like, but now I understand that it can also help you think more deeply about things and stuff. Even if some parts were confusing, the examples helped me understand the main message better.