Philosophy

Out of Service

Here is a sentence by Alva Noë (2015) which hints at the distinction between philosophy and practical problem-solving.

… if there is a pornographic art, whatever else is true of it, it will not be good for masturbating.

(from Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature, p. 116)

The “function” of art, similar to the “function” of philosophy, involves being anti-functional, as it moves us against the ways we assume we ought to serve and be served. Philosophy (like art) refuses to serve our taken-for-granted purposes. To philosophize is to be out of service.

This is not a pointless rebellion against usefulness. By creating a distance between us and our goals/tasks (i.e., by being anti-functional), by suspending our mindless goal-directness, art can make us aware of how we are organized around our goals. It makes us aware of what we are are serving and how. By doing so, art (like philosophy) opens the possibility of reorganization and new forms of life.

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