Comment by makeitshine | Hacker News Reader

Comment by makeitshine | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

When you say art is a way to give life meaning, in what way do you mean that?

I ask, because for me, art, as ambiguous of a term as that is, has been a means to give me meaning in the moment. It later acts as a memento of those moments. A sort of nostalgic trigger.

The act of creating something is sort of a release, and in some way I agree with the OP that it is narcissistic, but there is little we do which isn't centered on ourselves. Where I differ is the negative connotation.

Art as expression is a way for me to "get something off my chest", so to speak. That other people might enjoy it is only a byproduct, and I think many artists feel the same. It's probably the reason so many are discovered only after their death.

For you art is expression, but the interesting question is, why do you find expression meaningful? Do the stars care about your expression? No, they're busy, they're fusing hydrogen to helium. Who does care then? Well, you do. Art as expression is meaningful - tautologically - and perhaps somewhat unsatisfyingly - solely because you have assigned it meaning. But, importantly, that does create real meaning - it's the only thing that can. You give expressive art meaning, and your creation of something meaningful in turn gives you meaning.

Every choice we make ultimately comes back to what we find to be meaningful (or it follows on from something we do), and in far as life has no intrinsic meaning, that meaning is always and necessarily self-created (perhaps consciously, perhaps unconsciously by way of received wisdom that a person perpetuates by thoughts, words and deeds). "Art is without value" is not really an interesting statement, except in as far as it says that the speaker finds meaning elsewhere than art. It's a statement of preference couched in objective language.

Personally, I agree that art is expression and that that expression is meaningful, so you and I derive meaning, at least in part, from similar choices.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com