Ways art/literature/film might NOT contribute to false consciousness?

if art is designed with political intentions, it is propaganda. doesn't mean it's without philosophical resonance, but... as an instrument for social change, it's pretty blunt.





when it's looked at recent history, and - let's say - sociological observations remain clear, and dramatic potential is fulfilled - it can be a cathartic / sublimating force, where people's nascent political stirrings are expunged by the end of the experience.





where political/historical concerns are wrongly attended to (eg just misguided) or lacking altogether, you've got clear false consciousness.





does art need to be useful? i recognise there's no direct, one to one relationship between social change and art. fine... i somehow still need it to be useful... (yes, i see the irony...)





guidance to further reading would be welcome!!!

Ways art/literature/film might NOT contribute to false consciousness?
Almost any 'medium' can be used as a vehicle for a message. Not everyone always understands the message the artist is 'trying' to manifest, %26amp; often they invent their own message....%26amp; the 'truth' gets lost, but that is not always a bad thing.
Reply:Art is always useful. I can use it to propagate my lies!


Ahahahahaha
Reply:Humans brains are memetic playground, the place where ideas live. The purpose (maybe not the right word) of a meme is to replicate in much the same way that genes replicate. Memes exist in communities and on many different levels, one meme supports others that increase their success, they are socially altruistic and personally selfish (if personification of ideas is your bag!)


So, getting to the point.. Any creative work you produce is the manifestation of the memes which you are infected by, it is therefore the act of spreading these memes. Whether a sentence or a powerful work of art, the base idea is the same - spread my memes to other minds, because these are the ideas I enjoy spreading (which is what makes them so successful!)


So I don't think that art needs to cause social change, it just needs to pass ideas from one person to another, whether these are good or bad ideas from the point of view of society is not so relevant - you are a slave to ideas and will spread the ones that you find the most contagious.


The end result is movement within the meme pool, the spread and evolution of ideas themselves. Whether they cause good or bad things to happen in meatspace in the long run is completely irrelevant, the important thing is how spreading them makes you feel.


So, you're quite partial to memes to do with virtues and social change. In genetic terms, this is their fitness for survival in the landscape of your mind. Myself, I prefer memes for the sake of memes themselves.. try not to restrict yourself to a genre and you're likely to make a much bigger difference in the long run.

Dental Insurance