“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” this quote from Thomas Merton is representative of what art means to our cultures and way of life it is at its core an escape from the harsh realities we have to face and at the same time is how so many find meaning and guidance in life. In a paper written by Rhys Southan titled “Is Art a Waste of Time?” he discusses with members of the Effective Altruism group, known for their many good deeds and radical way of thinking when it comes to helping others in the world. The Effective Altruist or EA’s believe that if a person is not making more money than the next and then in return giving that many to help the world then they mean nothing, they are replaceable. so in the EA’s eyes they do not hold art as being valuable to help with bringing peace to the world, they only see tangible things like money as an effective way of dealing with the problems of the world. on the other side of the argument is composeer Benjamin Zander who speaks about how music, a form of art, can be very important in our lives in his Ted Talk “The Transformative Power of Classical Music.” Zander mentions how music is a powerful motivator and can be recognized and enjoyed by everyone. art has been at the forefront of human culture and life and can be powerful in motivating people to do better and make change. art is needed and is valuable to making a difference in the world, because like Zander many find art to be comforting and even able to make change in our world despite the EA’s view on it.
art can play a role in bettering the world because it evokes many feelings and helps to heal someone and may motivate someone to then do better “good deeds”.
You present both sides very well. I am wondering if you can get more specific in your thesis? I”ll bet that comes with writing some body graphs. Both top choice and runner up thesis are “working theses” –they very well may change or be tweaked.
Nice job!