<div>On 5/26/06, Miles Jackson <<a href="mailto:cqmv@pdx.edu">cqmv@pdx.edu</a>> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> <a href="mailto:jthorn65@sbcglobal.net">jthorn65@sbcglobal.net</a> wrote: In my view, you're making this way too complicated.  There is no universal, defining characteristic of art (e.g., "must be reproducable", "original meaning").  At different times and different places, different social standards emerge and are maintained for what makes something art, just as different standards emerge and are maintained about God, family structure, and formal schooling.  Figuring out what "art" is in a given society by trying to identify the platonic form "Art" is exactly analogous to making sense of religion in a society by trying to identify the true essence of God.  </blockquote><div>  </div></div>Here, here, Miles.  Common sense that is also a thought with some depth.  I don't think we need Marx come from the grave to make this observation valid. I have one thing to add to your thought.  It takes a certain amount of complexity of society before members of that society distinguish any particular artifact as a work of art.  What amount of complexity I am talking about cannot be determined with any exactitude or simply from theory.  Empirical study is the only thing that may tell us anything about such a subject, but unfortunately empirical study is mostly lost to us in these matters when investigating pre-historic societies.  The main point that should be made is that it takes a certain amount of division of labor and specialization of craft before a person is elevated to the position of a recognized good maker/creator of an artifact and then from there to a recognition that a good maker of artifacts can be a good artist. Jerry  -- Jerry Monaco's Philosophy, Politics, Culture Weblog is Shandean Postscripts to Politics, Philosophy, and Culture <a href="http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/">http://monacojerry.livejournal.com/ </a> His fiction, poetry, weblog is Hopeful Monsters: Fiction, Poetry, Memories <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/">http://www.livejournal.com/users/jerrymonaco/</a> Notes, Quotes, Images - From some of my reading and browsing <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/community/jerry_quotes/">http://www.livejournal.com/community/jerry_quotes/</a>