Modern art can be strange and baffling. Sometimes we even think “I could do that!” So, is there value in modern artworks? In this podcast, we kick off a 9-part discussion of contemporary art inspired by Ossian Ward’s book Ways of Looking. You don’t need to read the book, but if you’ve ever wanted a ready-made online book club, you can buy Ward’s book and read along with our episodes! Artworks discussed in this episode: John Cage’s 4’33”, Duchamp’s Fountain. (Intro: Traveling in Your Mind (edited) by Loyalty Freak Music, from The Free Music Archive, CC0 1.0 Universal License. Outro: Sometimes I Feel (edited) by The Spectacular Fantastic, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.)

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Critics disagree sharply about whether The Old Man and the Sea is a good book. Is that because they evaluate books based on their own moral outlooks? And should they? Along the way we discuss an essay by Katherine Jobes and the works of Cormac McCarthy. (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license. Outro: Teller of the Tales (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 US license.)

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Earlier this year, Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.  The critics have their opinion of Ishiguro’s work, but what does Ishiguro say is the point of his work?  Why does he think it has significance?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Love (edited) by PC-ONE, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0 US license.)

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Sigmund Freud’s work had a vast influence on psychology, art, and popular culture.  But what did Freud’s theory say?  Is it backed by the evidence?  Why does Freudian theory continue to fascinate people?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Haul Away Joe by Howie Mitchell, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0 US license.)

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Philosophers like Bruno Latour have maintained that important aspects of human life are just “social constructions.”  But what is a social construction?  And should we think that some key parts of life are constructions of the human mind?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Love is Dying ft. Fliss (edited) by Agenda 23, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0 US license.)

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In Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, the philosopher Susan Wolf offers a theory of how to live a meaningful life.  Is Wolf right?  And can her ideas help us live more meaningful lives?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: City of Dreams by Mise, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0 US license.)

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For decades a strange taboo has haunted literary critics, keeping them from referring to the intentions of authors.  In this episode, we discuss John Farrell’s new book explaining why that happened and why it matters.  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Arabion Dream by Naran, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 4.0 license.)

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Our previous discussion of H.P. Lovecraft leads to bigger questions:  Is there something terrifying about modern science?  Should we fear superior alien life?  Does fiction require us to paint some people as evil?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: The Face of God (edited) by The Agrarians, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license.)

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Was H.P. Lovecraft a talented writer of cosmic horror fiction, or should we be horrified by the stories themselves?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Violins and Tea, Instrumental (edited) by Loch Lomond, from The Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0 license.)

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Marcel Duchamp submitted a urinal to an art competition, and it became the most influential artwork of the 20th century.  But is it any good?  (Intro: Cold Funk (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 license.  Outro: Jellyfish in Space (edited) by Kevin MacLeod, from Incompetech.com, CC BY 3.0 License.) 

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https://alexrajczi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/farrell-rajczi-ep12-can-a-urinal-be-a-work-of-art.mp3