Hume focuses on comparing literary work. For instance, in case a person claims that author X is better than author Z, this conclusion is arrived at upon assessing the speakers’ point of view or personal preferences of X than Z. The situation implies that the comparison of the two authors has its basis on the literary taste of an individual. From the scenario, it is evident that taste involves a response to something in either a negative or positive way. On the other hand, Hume refers to preferences as the pleasure people derive from the response. For example, in case X gives more pleasure than Z, then it summed up the notion that X is better than Z. As a result, Hume claims that it is difficult to believe that every person has unequal and legitimate preferences. Thus, Hume argues that“ Where rules of normal response are present and apply predictably, then the resulting pleasure can be used as a basis for recommending something .”
According to Hume, some people are more keenly attuned to art objects, and their aesthetic sensibilities are more delicate than others. It is true that the sense of taste is largely affected by issues such as education. For instance, a small percentage of people will notice and enjoy specific things. Literature and other arts have stimulating effects on teste. However, it is notable that a good number of arts falls in the category of stuff that is enjoyable to few or specific people. For instance, there are different factors such as education that influence the type of art objects that triggers people’s teste ( Mock, 2014). A good example is opera movies. It is difficult for a person who has not been exposed to opera to enjoy the film or art for the first time. In this case, it would be easy to side with Hume’s view that some people have delicate aesthetic sensibility. Such people’s artistic delicacy and the sensitivity largely depend on their culture and education background.
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According to Leo Tolstoy, art is not an activity whose consequence is beauty. He further argues that beauty is not an object and thus, it is senseless to use it to assert what art is or is not. He also claims that the primary purpose of illustration is not about enjoyment or entertainment as many people claim, but an art is a way of expression or communication. According to Leo Tolstoy, artists have their views on different issues that affect people's lives within society. Issues such as political affiliation, environmental degradation, and social matters are critical to artists ( Love, 2018). The best way to express their pleasure, disagreements and concerns about such matters is through art. Art thus mirrors the artist views on society. According to him, "good art is intelligible and comprehensible while a bad art is unintelligible and incomprehensible.”
I agree with Leo Tolstoy's view of defining art. There are a lot of issues in society, and people have many ways of expressing their concerns about them. Since time immemorial, the technique has been used as a way of communicating the negative and positive behaviors within society. Art is a mirror to a community. For instance, movies are loved by nearly every person. Films are designed with specific messages to the audience based on the age groups. There are movies for adolescents that discourage different behaviors such as drug addiction, and sexual behaviors. Other films are designed to curb issues such as racism and stigmatization. I have watched such movies and realize the powerful message they portray.
References
Love, J. (2018). Thinking with Tolstoy and Wittgenstein: Expression, Emotion, and Art.
Mock, J. (2014). Response to "Hume and the Ethics of Taste." Southwest Philosophy Review , 30 (2), 37-39.
