Is Art A Waste Of Time - 1557 Words

There is an old saying, â€Å"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.† Effective Altruists, genuinely well-meaning people, whose goal is to do as much good as they can, seem not to notice the flaws in some of their methods. Robert Southan is a screenplay writer who recounts his encounters with some Effective Altruists in his essay â€Å"Is Art a Waste of Time?† He says that Effective Altruists generally do not consider art to be a worthy profession for they perceive it to be an occupation that has little potential to do good for others. However, they do not take into account the enormous emotional support that art has had for countless people. Music, in particular, is part of nearly all cultures and is instrumental in creating situations in†¦show more content†¦Rhys Southan explains the idea of replaceability â€Å"The idea is that the only good that counts is what you accomplish over and above what the next person would have done in your place. In equ ation form, Your Apparent Good Achieved minus the Good Your Counter-factual Replacement Would Have Achieved equals Your Actual Good Achieved† (Southan 436). This view suggests that any good a person does that someone may have done in their place is meaningless. In reality, good deeds have intrinsic value, and the effect that they have cannot be negated by a simple math equation. For example, if one donates food to a homeless shelter that someone else would have in their place, it does not erase the fact that there was a person who was able to eat dinner because of the food donor. There is another issue with the Effective Altruist’s logic. At least one of the variables in the equation is neither quantifiable nor measurable. The good that one would have done in another’s place is hypothetical, and cannot be proven. Effective Altruists consider a monetary donation to qualified charities to be the best way to help people. They also believe that art itself does not co ntribute to the wellbeing of others. As such, the fact that rarely earns enough money from art to be significantly charitable and Effective Altruists belief that art is not useful combine to be a justification for their claim that art is not aShow MoreRelatedArt Is A Waste Of Time1533 Words   |  7 PagesArt is a waste of time. The tragedy of that statement has been circulated for years on end ever since the renaissance era fled from this world. What people fail to realize is that art is just like math. You may not think it is necessary but we still unconsciously use it in our everyday lives. The growing epidemic here is that the school systems have depleted the need to learn about creativity and self expression, mostly due to money and budget cuts. For the schools who do have art classes availableRead MoreThe Storage Facility Is Changing The Memory Of Nuclear Power949 Words   |  4 PagesNetherlands, the Habog is a treatment and storage center for highly radioactive waste. Con struction on the building began in 2000. It is operated by Covra, the Central Organization for Radioactive Waste. The Habog gives insight into the history of nuclear power and the anti-nuclear movement in the Netherlands. The most significant aspect of the facility is its transformation of the traditionally closed off image of nuclear waste into an open and artistic space for visitors. The opening of the HabogRead MoreAnalysis of the Painting Great Detonators by Acamonchi830 Words   |  3 PagesContemporary art is the art created in the present time. Today, artists affected by the social context and personal experiences reproduce pieces of art that question or make a point about controversial issues in our society. A great example is the painting created in 2006 called Great Detonators (â€Å"Grandes Detonadores†) by the Mexican artist Acamonchi. The painting is located in the exhibition The Very large Array: San Diego/ Tijuana Artist in the Peter C. Farrell Gallery inside the Museum of ContemporaryRead MoreVladeks Quirks and Habits1594 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Valerie Alvarado Instructor: Darci Cather English 1302-SP2 5-12-14 Vladek’s Reaction to the Holocaust The Holocaust was a traumatizing and depressing time period in history due to the Nazis in the leadership of their dictator Adolf Hitler. The Nazis were a Political Party during World War ΙΙ from 1941 through 1945. Many Jews during this time were discriminated, murdered, and humiliated in front of many other Jews and Germans. â€Å"Six million Jews died in a merciless way at the hands of the Nazis†Read MoreAnalysis of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot1571 Words   |  7 Pagesbe a unified and rational Cartesian subject, then T.S. Eliot’s â€Å"heap of broken images† eagerly embraces its fragmented and alienated (post)modern counterpart. The message this phrase bears, resonates throughout the entire poem: from its title, â€Å"The Waste Land†, to its final mantra â€Å"Shantih shantih shantih†. All words, phrases and sentences (or just simply images) which make up this poem seem to, in Levi-Strauss’ words, â€Å"be a valeur symboli que zero [and the signifier] can take on any value requiredRead MoreBob Johnson, A Philosopher And Artist1260 Words   |  6 Pagessculptures innovatively harvest waste, especially those in the river streams, and transform the resulting heap into vivid discussions to what we humans produce in waste and leave behind. Bob Johnson, a Pittsburgh native, started the ATM movement in June of 2003. With a BA, MA in liberal studies and philosophy from Binghamton University. He later pursued a PhD in philosophy from Duquesne University. An a established philosopher by disposition and training, fine art fabricator by profession, and do-goodingRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Recycling891 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen filled by a lot of waste. There is a lot of garbage, plastic waste, and electronic waste. We always produce it and dump it when we need the new one. Our waste are piling up and continuously accumulating. Plastic waste is one of the biggest problems for us now. And our solution in this problem is recycling. In my opinion, recycling is a way to manage used items into new products. We can reduce, reuse, and recycling (3R) waste management (Peter, 2013). We can reduce our waste clothes with reuse itRead More Liberal Education: Why is it important in todays workforce?1607 Words   |  7 PagesWhy do college students need courses in the liberal arts? Is it beneficial or just a waste of time? Will it make them or influence them to become better workers once they graduate or will it just go down the drain and be useless? Student loans are increasing every year, and each student just wants to finish their degrees at a lesser price and a quicker pace, so they can start working and pay for those debts. In today’s society where some to most students are very much career – driven, they decideRead MoreStudy Abroad : A Waste Of Time1500 Words   |  6 PagesStudy Abroad, a waste of time. I think not! Is Study Abroad a waste of time or an exciting experience? I say that it s a great thing and for the right people it’s not a waste. Williamson in â€Å"Study Abroad: Revenue Drain or Stream† for the Chronicle states, â€Å" many higher-education institutions and others have found ways to generate revenue from study-abroad ventures. The World Bank estimates that $300-billion is spent each year on global higher education†¦Ã¢â‚¬ What Williamson really means is that sinceRead MoreDo Schools Really Care About Their Students? Do Schools1456 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"them†. Then there is the fine arts possibly a page here or there in the yearbook that one may have seen. In high school, it is all about finding the groups that benefit one the most. Little do schools know that their beloved sports teams do no provide that. Even though some schools do not care for the fine arts, every school should make the fine arts a requirement in school. On the other hand schools should keep, defunding fine art programs because they are a waste of money. An article called â€Å"Ten