Greetings Friends,
Quick note: In case you missed it, we are starting a new course on perennial habits next week. Although the course is exclusively available to members, I provide complimentary access to anyone who cannot afford it. There’s also a discount link for anyone who needs a little help.
Thank you for reading and listening this week! Below is a short contemplation on “Art as Experience” from John Dewey, along with links to this week’s meditations. Until next week, be wise and be well!
🛋️ The Weekend Review
The Weekend Review is a consolidation of the week’s meditations and podcasts. It allows us to revisit, review, and reflect on the art of living. Each installment also includes a short contemplation (from a notable work) with guided reflection questions to consider.
📿 Art as Experience
This week’s contemplation comes from the American philosopher John Dewey (1859—1952). In a work on Art as Experience, Dewey observed,
Art is a quality that permeates an experience; it is not, save by a figure of speech, the experience itself. Esthetic experience is always more than esthetic. … The material of esthetic experience in being human—human in connection with the nature of which it is a part—is social. Esthetic experience is a manifestation, a record and celebration of the life of a civilization, a means of promoting its development, and is also the ultimate judgment upon the quality of a civilization. …
Dewey continues,
The noblest man living in a desert absorbs something of its harshness and sterility, while the nostalgia of the mountain-bred man when cut off from his surroundings is proof how deeply environment has become part of his being. Neither the savage nor the civilized man is what he is by native constitution but by the culture in which he participates. The final measure of the quality of that culture is the arts which flourish.
***If you’re interested in learning more about the philosophy of art and culture, consider listening to my conversation with Alva Noë, author of The Entanglement. You might also consider exploring The Wisdom of Art series in the archive.
Contemplation Questions (Pick one or create your own!):
How has the “arts” of your culture shaped the way you see and live?
Why does Dewey suggest that “esthetic experience” is social?
This Week’s Meditations…
This Week’s Videos…
Here’s the full video from my conversation with Shane Trotter (from Setting the Bar), episode two of The Character Lab series.
Here’s a clip from my conversation with Armand D’Angour (author of Socrates in Love) on how to “know thyself” like Socrates.
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Thank you for reading/listening this week; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W.
P.S. If you’re interested in becoming a member but cannot afford it, feel free to request a complimentary membership or use this discount link.