Diogenes

[Doubleplus GC]

Diogenes: ancient Greek philosopher, one of the first Cynics (back when cynicism was an actual form of philosophy). Cynicism was more or less invented by Diogenes' mentor, Antisthenes (his name, I believe, being the ancestor of "antithesis"). When Diogenes arrived at Antisthenes' door, Antisthenes was so unimpressed with Diogenes that he struck him in the head with a stick. Diogenes responded with something to the effect of: "strike me as much as you want because there is no stick hard enough to drive me from you as long as I think you have something to say." Accounts vary on specific phrasing.

 

Diogenes took Cynicism to greater depths than Antisthenes ever did. Cynicism, as a philosophy, teaches freedom from all that may control a person. The goal was complete liberation. Diogenes decided that a house restricted one's freedom because it limited location, because it demanded maintenance, and because you were obligated to the people that provided you with it. So he stopped living in his house. He applied the same logic to clothing, cups, plates, and flatware.

 

Diogenes lived in a tub in the center of the city, drank from the fountain, ate only what passing people would give him out of charity, carried on his person nothing but a long black robe, a wallet, and a walking stick.

 

So, as the myth goes, Alexander the Great was a great admirer of philosophy (having been taught by Aristotle), and grew to respect Diogenes. The myth and the histories differ a bit, but for simplicity I go with the myth: Alexander with his army went to Athens to see Diogenes. Alexander approached Diogenes and said "Diogenes, is there anything I can do for you?"

 

And Diogenes looked up at him for a long time. And then said "Yes, you can move. You are blocking the sun."

 

Alexander stopped his men from drawing their swords and slicing (and dicing) Diogenes into Dioga-shish-kabobenes and said "if I were not Alexander I should hope to be Diogenes."

 

Thought you might find that interesting. Just think, all those homeless people I walk past on the San Francisco streets every day are more free than I will ever be. If the president approached them they would owe him nothing, not even respect, because nothing they have has ever come from him.

[Moon Roach]

Talk about serendipity.

 

I just became aware of a new animated series called Reign: The Conqueror from the makers of Aeon Flux (if you haven't rented MTV's Liquid Television, which I hope is still available for renting, I highly recommend you do...although the Aeon Flux series with dialogue was okay, the series without dialogue blew my fucking mind and is one of the many contributors to my madness...).

 

Reign has a good share of violence and brutality, but in my opinion it is mostly philosophy. The story you just posted was an episode!! An an excellent one at that. I am so glad to see philosophy and history being taught in a form as interesting as it really is.

 

Thanks to Prez Bush, American schools sure don't have the money to teach this sort of "liberal claptrap" anymore. But philosophy, ethics, and history are important educational tools because they provide perspective, which is necessary for the informed formulation of beliefs, a category in which humans are in a rut. Not to mention the education of art and music, which exercises the "right brain", responsible for creativity and imagination, a part of the brain that is almost always overpowered by the "left brain" and is atrophying in youth who don't exercise it. Both logic and creativity need each other to blossom...without one, the other is handicapped, and so humans become mentally paralyzed day by day...

[Doubleplus GC]

Yeah.

[scabb]

I don't really agree with the teaching of art and music, at least not the methods used in our College. Sure, teach the students how to play the instruments and which materials create which effects, but how can you rely on a teacher to examine the quality of your work? Is it examined on beauty, or on complexity?

 

The teachers I knew all seemed to teach in a rather narrow-minded way, enforcing rules that mean everybody produces similar work and entirely ignoring creative aspects.

[chrisakachris]

[neener-neener]Some-body's pissed-off because hee-ee su-ucks![/neener-neener]

[Doubleplus GC]

Most art teachers I've had have been pretty accepting of people's creativity. In fact, usually too accepting (my short story teacher sure enjoyed a lot of shitty work... all done by other[.i] students, natch). Of course, I'm from SF Bay Area, and if you aren't artfuck around here then you're probably a hick.

 

Teaching art should be about teaching theory and history. If the teacher is one that grades the quality of your work, my experience has taught me that most students that complain about the teacher being narrow-minded turned in crappy work and the only teachers that like it like everything.

[Moon Roach]

Yes scabb that is my point. The methods used in colleges today are aimed at 'left brain' exercising entirely...simplifying and reducing abstract ideas into neat little categories that are easy to memorize and understand on their own. These units of information are key to help us understand, but are meaningful only in the larger complex whole, which the 'right brain' excels at. Art isn't correct or incorrect. It is a complex practice and lifelong effort. So the art teacher is responsible for providing basic concepts (color wheels, theory, perspective, methods of observation), and critiquing progress (ex. how does your self-portrait at the beginning of the class compare to your self-portrait at the end of the class).

 

Art teachers can grade based on individual students effort and improvement during the length of the class. Sure everyone has different styles, it's not the teacher's decision which style is ok. Sure there are some bad teachers, for many reasons, worst of which those who are shoved into teaching art class because the school board thinks that art is meaningless and pins it on the gym teacher. Creative ed needs funding. Bad.

 

In any case it is obvious to an art teacher who is trying and who is not, and your finished products (in comparison to your other finished products) speak for themselves.