Philosophy and literature Class note- 22nd Sept. 2011.

The class started with the revision of the previous session which was
about the birth of subject.  According to Kant the birth of subject is ‘knowing’, the world is limited and the subject is born in order to transcend it, in this process one goes through  suffering.

In the previous sessions, few questions were  not discussed in the class such as, what is expected of a researcher? What is Art? What is the purpose of art? When did the concept become Art? How did bourgeois society and Capitalism come about? How is art connected to bourgeois society and Capitalism? Therefore these were dealt in the class in a detailed manner. We were also give few tips to  keep in mind while writing a good research; to have clarity, to have thorough knowledge of the area one deals with, to pay close attention to the writing style, to give a brief summary of  every chapter and include what is going  to be explained in the next chapter and  it should have a complete structure etc.

 Art in the beginning was for pleasure, like music and poetry so, when we  go back to the history it is found that  art was developed by humans from the stone age but later  with elaborate and complex works of art, it became  intensely religious and symbolic. In the 4th century Art  was seen with a different view of  great writers like  Plato, Aristotle, Horace and Longinus who taught about the purpose of Art which was then mainly for pleasure. Until 17 th century Art was craft. But with the change of time there came shift in Art too. From the 18th Century  with the arrival of steam engine and industrialisation, people thought Art was something special, it is meant for artists only. Also Capitalist concept of a just society brought about a change in the world of Art which had a different perspective from pleasure to “Art for Art sake”. In the modern and post modern world  Art  is  seen as narrative of endless possibilities. Marx concept of Labour and Marx concept of  Capital greatly influenced the eighteenth century. So it is seen that art can have an impact on a society’s system of values.

The class discussion continued with the 18th century Industrialisation and its impact. Due to the Industrialisation there came a shift in the ritualistic function in the society. Industry means hard work. The Marx concepts of Labour and Capital were of great significance in this period. Who is bourgeois? Bourgeois are those who believe in the ideology of capitalism. Capitalist may or may not be bourgeois. The Idea of Art  for Arts sake   can be connected with  bourgeois, Which  had no social purpose. But  Art  remains always for the public.

 prepared by Gracy Simoon