While art certainly serves us, do we really need it, or do we simply desire it?
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Physical needs and wants are easier to divide: we only need air, food, water, clothing, housing. Psychological needs are harder to pin down. The fact that we can last for a long time without art doesn't mean it isn't important to us. Given time, every society there ever was invented art of some sort, which pretty much answers the question.
2 Replies
Sean Davey
from Sean Davey Art Photography
Agreed.
Business from Lakewood, CO
Interesting point here: "Given time, every society there ever was invented art of some sort, which pretty much answers the question."
Would we then also see that other things that every society has practiced would also qualify as a need? Social gathering, work effort sharing, crime, education, religion, war, etc.? Perhaps all of these things are in some way a need because it serves us. Or do they again merely fall under desires?
Gordon A. Long
from Airborn Press
Very good point. You lead me to divide what societies need from what individuals need. Thus social gathering would be for both, work effort sharing would be for society, education would be society, I suppose religion is sort of for both, although that's arguable. Crime, being anti-social, benefits individuals but not societies. But it's the result of people trying to fulfill their needs. War is in a class by itself. It would take books to answer that one.