Posted: Dec 23, 2011 10:18 pm
andrewk wrote:"What is art? Is artistic merit at all objective? Is there any sense in which we can say that Beethoven is objectively better than Britney Spears?"
There are several senses in which you can say that Beethoven is objectively better than Britney Spears and some senses in which the reverse holds. For example "Für Elise" objectively meets the criteria for correct use of counterpoint, while "Hit me Baby" doesn´t...
The topic seems to confuse objectivity - whether the truth of a statement depends on the observer (subjectivity) or not (objectivity) with the question of relativity vs. absolutes - whether the truth of a statement depends on a set of premises or not.