Immanuel breaks it down further. He says that within Free Art, there is mechanical art (making an object actual like say a bicycle or car) and aesthetic art (seeks to arouse a feeling of pleasure). Within aesthetic art Kant locates fine and agreeable art. Fine art "furthers the culture of our mental powers to (facilitate) social communication." The pleasure of fine art stems from reflection rather than "mere sensation." Agreeable art seeks to provide merely enjoyment in the moment...and does not serve as material for future meditation or quotation.

Now initially I thought I'd found a home for Hollywood...but clearly this category doesn't fit either because one thing Hollywood does not want is momentary un-meditative enjoyment. They want the audience to remember through quotations, merchandising, repeat screenings, etc... It's a system that feeds off our tendency toward unreflective sense prioritizing: "It made me laugh (or cry). I want to laugh again." It's still very much in keeping with Kant's claim that agreeable art only provides "agreeable noise" that keeps minds in a cheerful mood (sort of like Prozac). But hey...whatever the make-up of agreeable art, it's quite clear (sort of) that superficial or otherwise, it is art and ANYWAY a boatload of make-work academics have reflected on Keanu Reeves; so much for the moment.

Let's stop there. We've pretty much got a sense now of WHY we make art (imitation/improvement) and WHAT art is (virtually anything made by humans including you, me and your Grandma). Despite my assumptions, Monsters Inc., Hot Wheels, bobbleheads, Britney Spears and Ikea furniture are ALL Art. Hollywood may be a robotic assembly line, not to mention a technological based medium, but these systems were designed (and accepted) by/for people, so THEY be Art too. You are what you eat, so I guess we get the system we deserve. Hey...s'good enough for me cause not only is Murder, She Wrote art (which makes me feel far less guilty), but so am I.

Okay...everything's art...but this doesn't explain why we love and loathe. I guess judgement helps us differentiate between Plympton, Pixar and Pollock (alliteration...heh heh. Is that art? Guess so). But what is judgement (and taste) and how is it formed? Well...as they used to say on Hammy Hamster (is that one notch below truth in so far as it uses ACTUAL animals -- if so does that mean that all real animal and nature films are in fact the highest forms of art?)..."That's another story."

Next Month: Part 2: Yummy and Yucky

Squirrel Facts
Squirrels are common rodents that have hairy tails and strong hind legs. There are over 200 different species of squirrels that live in a variety of habitats.

Chris Robinson is but a man. His hobbies include squirrel taunting, meat dancing and elderly peeping. You can find the results at http://asifa.net/robinson