On the Degradation of Art and the Public Conscience

On the Degradation of Art and the Public Conscience

A philosophical talk by YouTuber, artist and budding science fiction writer Nikola Pavkovic

What does a civilisation reveal about itself through the art it creates?

Art is not merely decoration. It is an expression of values: of what we consider beautiful or ugly, heroic or contemptible, worthy of admiration or deserving of ridicule. Every culture produces art in its own image and, in doing so, reveals something about its conception of man. This talk will examine the proposition that the degradation of modern art is not an isolated aesthetic phenomenon but the reflection of a deeper degradation in the public conscience.

What happens when beauty becomes embarrassing, greatness becomes suspect and sincerity gives way to irony? When the artist ceases to present a vision of what man might become and instead celebrates fragmentation, ugliness, nihilism or despair?

We will explore the relationship between philosophy, art, morality and politics, tracing the historical forces that have transformed our artistic culture and asking whether the decline of artistic standards has accompanied a corresponding decline in our moral ones.

We’ll consider the capture of artistry not merely within universities and cultural institutions but across the wider machinery through which art is produced, funded, judged and celebrated. Yet decline is never total. There are artists who refuse it. By examining these exceptions, we can ask what their survival tells us about the possibility of another artistic culture: one concerned again with beauty, achievement, seriousness and the elevation rather than diminution of the human spirit.

Finally, we will confront the most important question:
If you reject the culture being offered to you, what are you prepared to create in its place?

Presentation followed by open discussion, disagreement and debate.

On the second Monday of the month, Philo Agora has a speaker on a philosophical topic and a Q&A and discussion after. On the fourth Monday we meet again for open philosophical discussion.

Philo Agora's format is a talk for 20 minutes starting at 7:15 for 7:30. The presenter then answers any questions of clarification from the floor. We then take a break of 5 minutes for more coffee and to mull over the talk and discuss it within small groups. The microphone is then passed around the audience for comment, opinion, and often counter argument to a maximum of 3 minutes. The presenter is then given a 5 minute right of reply.

We usually finish up at 9pm. The cover charge is $5 for the talk. There are tea and coffee facilities available in-house.

Sam Alexander - Convener (0457 749 310)