Van Gogh Shoes & Socrates
Outside Reading
Outside Reading
Written on 10/19/15
As we discussed in class there is a
difference between the shoes themselves and the paining of the shoes by Van
Gogh. I have connected this idea to a reading I did outside of class on
Socrates.
The
Socrates reading discussed that during Socrates’ life in in 470-399 BCE there
were many tragedies and world conflicts. As a result of these events there was
an increase of skepticism in Athens. People began to focus less on the
metaphysical and more on the pragmatic, or the practical (Kaye).
Socrates
found this to be a problem as he believed “the unexamined life is not worth
living” (Kaye). Thus, he attempted to move people to a deeper
truth by getting them to think about their thinking.
I
believe this connects to the discussion in class because the shoes themselves
are the practical. People look at them as an object that is there to serve a
purpose or their “usefulness” (Guest speaker). However, our perception
changes on the shoes when we look at the artwork because it represents the new
world the artist has opened up to us. The beauty the artist encountered during
his experience with the shoes was focused on the metaphysical not the
practical. The artist was moved to a deeper truth than the physical shoes. That
is why when we, the spectators, look at the paining we can see the “whole word
of being”, making the artwork itself the origin (Guest speaker).
Medieval Philosophy: A Beginner’s Guide, Kaye, OneWorld Publications, 2008.
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