Er, I’m not. The water is the world where people know the sort of music he plays and can form communicable opinions on how well he does it.
Okay, and the water for theologians is the community of theologians. Does that mean they’re accomplishing something truly great, or that they’re a clique?
Though to be fair, arguing over aesthetics on this level is like arguing over which variety of heroin is best to be addicted to. Battles to the death for insanely low stakes. Having us all taken out and shot is not an unreasonable passing fancy.
Your analogy would only be valid if theology was the study of an aesthetic matter. (I might think it was better approached as one, but I doubt we’ll find many theologians to agree.)
Well, not really. You’re asserting music that you have a greater than negligible inferential distance to is a fraudulent field, and you’re comparing it to a field you already consider fraudulent.
As such: the difference is that music is about aesthetics, not about the qualities of claimed supernatural beings. And in art, there is such a thing as inferential distance. Long post on the subject here. A given piece of art is created in a time, place and culture, to press the buttons in people’s heads, preferably starting with those of the artist. You will appreciate it more if you learn more about the time, place and culture, right down to the inside of the artist’s head as far as that can be ascertained, thus getting closer to the place in inference space of its birth.
Theology doesn’t, as far as I know, make the existence of God more believable if you know more of it; however, it is possible to learn about the cultural reference point for a piece of art and appreciate more what the artist was doing.
Okay, and the water for theologians is the community of theologians. Does that mean they’re accomplishing something truly great, or that they’re a clique?
I have just corrected the systematic downvoting of Silas. His general point seems important.
As it happens, I was also the victim of systematic drive-by downvoting in the last few minutes.
I don’t know what the relationship between these two facts is.
(Edit: I didn’t participate in the downvoting of Silas, I don’t think.)
I have a long-standing policy of not voting in discussions in which I am strongly opinionated and participating in, which applies here.
As was I. Go rationality!
Though to be fair, arguing over aesthetics on this level is like arguing over which variety of heroin is best to be addicted to. Battles to the death for insanely low stakes. Having us all taken out and shot is not an unreasonable passing fancy.
That’s an impressively sane analogy to keep in mind. Thanks.
Your analogy would only be valid if theology was the study of an aesthetic matter. (I might think it was better approached as one, but I doubt we’ll find many theologians to agree.)
*redefines theology as the study of aesthetic matter*
You don’t get away that easily. If your entire argument rests on, “I’ve chosen to apply this symbol, this way” then I think we’re done here.
Well, not really. You’re asserting music that you have a greater than negligible inferential distance to is a fraudulent field, and you’re comparing it to a field you already consider fraudulent.
As such: the difference is that music is about aesthetics, not about the qualities of claimed supernatural beings. And in art, there is such a thing as inferential distance. Long post on the subject here. A given piece of art is created in a time, place and culture, to press the buttons in people’s heads, preferably starting with those of the artist. You will appreciate it more if you learn more about the time, place and culture, right down to the inside of the artist’s head as far as that can be ascertained, thus getting closer to the place in inference space of its birth.
Theology doesn’t, as far as I know, make the existence of God more believable if you know more of it; however, it is possible to learn about the cultural reference point for a piece of art and appreciate more what the artist was doing.