Assignment Paper

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This Project Assignment picks up the discussion of truth in the Week 3 Discussion by asking you to compare
and contrast the modern and postmodern approaches to truth and art. In a 3-4 page paper, discuss the
following:
Explain the idea that art represents reality by discussing Plato and/or Aristotle’s view of art. Discuss a work of
art that you think illustrates this idea. For example, you might discuss a character/narrator/subject in a work of
art (novel, poem, film, graphic novel, short story, television show, song, painting, etc.) who you think captures
the idea that we have an essential, shared human nature and that art reflects this reality for us.
• Explain the idea that art is truth by discussing Schelling, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and/or Heidegger.
Discuss a work of art that you think illustrates this idea. For example, you might discuss a
character/narrator/subject in a work of art (novel, poem, film, graphic novel, short story, television show, song,
painting, etc.) who you think captures the artichoke/post-modern idea.
You might also consider the following in developing your paper:
Is art mimesis/representation (as in Platonism and Aristotelian aesthetics) or is it a means of transforming the
self and reality? Might it be aspirational, allowing us to achieve catharsis, as Aristotle suggests? Consider, too,
how the idea of art as representation is akin to the avocado view while the idea of art as transformative is more
like the artichoke view.
What is the relationship between art and philosophy? Do you agree with Plato and Descartes that philosophy is
the best means of achieving certainty about reality and existence, or do you think that art is the ultimate
expression of truth? How is the postmodern view of art a rejection of the natural standpoint we see adopted by
empiricism and rationalism and rejected by phenomenology?
Remember to use supporting citations from the textbook and online lectures in correct APA citation.