How Images, Pictures and Art Help Us Understand What is Real
Metaphysics is an area of philosophy that seeks to explain the fundamental nature of being and the world that surrounds it. It achieves the goal by conducting two types of investigations. One of the inquiries aims to expound on the nature of reality by asking whether there are universal principles that apply to everything that is real. The second one intends to uncover what is ultimately real by providing answers which are contrast to what people experience in their everyday lives. Iris Murdoch, a modern-day philosopher, in her book Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals delves into the philosophical world of seeking the truth. Throughout the book, she offers philosophical insights about the nature of the reality and even explores the how art impacts the real world. This paper will provide an analysis of Murdoch’s view on the impact of art on reality, and address the query that art, pictures and images assist in comprehending the fundamental questions of metaphysics in philosophy, but not so much in real life.
Murdoch begins by explaining the notion of self-contained unity as an instinctive concept. She makes a claim that very often, human beings tend to infer a great deal from limited information. They intuitively extend the space continuity and time, even though they possess little knowledge. She, however, argues that it is not proper to infer reality from experience; and, in fact, the possibility of experience itself needs an explanation. Human beings fear plurality, diffusion, senseless and chaos, and, thus, they seek to transform the incomprehensible into something more familiar, such as history, religion, science, or even art. She explains that unlike these disciplines, philosophy proposes things as they neither explain nor deduce anything.
She describes art as an ‘art object’ or ‘work of art’, or something that is typically not a material object, though some works of art are embodied in material substance so that they may look like objects. Regarding materiality of items, statues are close, pictures are quite close, but poems or symphonies are very remote from materiality. Murdoch explains that all art objects are designed to be imagined by the artist, and then the second party. This imagination is essentially the point of art. According to her, the idea of art involves a sustained experienced mental synthesis where people just perceive the work of art and understand the command to ‘see it as a work of art’. If the notation created in people’s mind ceases to exist or becomes unavailable for some reason, the essence of an artwork is lost. The purpose of art is therefore to enhance the concept of limited-wholes or self-contained unity.
The concept of contemplation or attention entails looking carefully at something or holding it in mind. Attention is taught as early as in childhood, where a child is taught to look at the aesthetic value of things, which serves as a preparation for a pleasurable life. The author explains that the children in the right environment may be taught to observe pictures, listen quietly to music or stories, and readily understand the spirit in which they are supposed to treat these dissimilar works. These pieces which they are invited to learn are harmoniously unified forms in their very nature. However, joy or pleasure is not a search for objects, but to delight in the limitless accumulation of chaos. By stating this, Murdoch implies that art creates the illusion of harmony even where it does not exist and is thus deceptive.
What concerns consciousness, the author explains that existentialism prefers the genuine expression of attitudes or feelings rather than a meticulous statement masquerading as objects. The former is an expression of metaphysics, while the latter is a manifestation of a work of art. She laments that images of nuclear warfare or ecological disasters are products of fearful, pessimistic and cynical artistic minds. By asserting this, Murdoch implies that some of the negative events witnessed are mere creations of artistic work. This assertion is not true, as some of these occurrences are real, and the role of the artist is to bring the picture closer to the viewers rather than just create abstract images in their minds. The artist, therefore, enhances mental consciousness.
Murdoch also banishes art as a tool that creates some false sense of freedom. She states that (unlike philosophy) the work of art, is not subject to an empirical concept, is produced by the free, spontaneous activity of the imagination acting in harmony with the notion of ‘an object in general. She dismisses art as being purposeful without a purpose or being a finality without an end thus reinforcing the concept of instinctive self-contained unity. Art, therefore, exists for its sake (selfish reasons) and creates aesthetic harmony. Kant separates art from practical rationality or moral emotions, which dictate that people must have respect for moral law.
To address the false sense of freedom created by art, the author recommends that people must uphold the strictness, purity, and simplicity of the concept of duty. Duty should act as prime safeguard and refuge if people want to keep morality ‘safe’ from a possible intrusion of art. It is hard to attain perfect freedom that art apparently has to offer, owing to the dual nature of human beings. According to Kant, duty implies obedience to moral laws and subjecting oneself to the demands of reason. I agree with this claim, because, as constituted, the society is too permissive and the justification is usually the freedom of self-expression through art. The law even protects this right. The easiest way out is adopting the concept of duty.
Murdoch cites Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as an explanation of pilgrimage from appearance to reality. The Allegory of the Cave presents images to distinguish what is imaginary and what is real. In each stage of the myth, people first see the shadows of the real object. Plato insists that imagery should be interpreted ‘as if’. Paintings and painters are not spared either. In the Republic, painters are used as a prime case, or image, of the bad effects of art. The book explains that the painter while looking at his subject, for instance, bed, is not as virtuous as the man who looks towards goodness. He is three steps away from reality. The deity creates the single noumenal idea of the bed, the carpenter makes examples of real (phenomenal) beds, and the painter copies only mere appearance without understanding of how they are made. The carpenter is thus closer to heaven, since he exercises some form of reason to distinguish true from false and apparent from real. The author continues to even disparage literature, which is a type of art. She accuses literature of being more dangerous than painting since it delights in presenting evil men as interesting and attractive. Finally, she claims painting to be less than what it represents. Murdoch asserts that it is the base addressing the base and is the lowest part of the human soul. Thus, the client takes over the work with his fantasy.
The paper analyzes the thoughts of Murdoch on the place of in her book Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals. As a philosopher, the author casts wild aspersions on the role of art and its tools in understanding what is real. Throughout the text, the writer describes art at as an incomplete tool, which cannot accomplish the fundamental task of showing reality. In fact, it demonstrates that art, images, pictures, poetry and literature are more far away from reality than even ordinary people like carpenters. In my view, the claims made by Murdoch are true when looked at from the philosophical perspective. However, from a commoner’s point of view, the role of artists cannot be downplayed. The world would, in fact, be a very dull place without art. Therefore, believing in Murdoch’s claims would be a matter of personal choice and preference.
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