21 November 2008

Since there’s been so much interest lately to find a definitive answer to whether graphic design is or isn’t art, I thought I’d share this text I just came across. It comes from Bryan Magee’s The Story of Philosophy, in the introduction (or, invitation to philosophy). 

The creative artist, like the philosopher, is fully committed to a truth-seeking activity, trying to see below the surface of things and acquire a deeper understanding of human experience; however, he publishes, or publicly presents, his insights in a different form from the philosopher, a form that relies on direct perception and intuition rather than on rational argument.

And:

It is essential to realize that philosophy, science, and art are not at odds with one another. They have much more in common than appears at first sight. In fact, as we shall see in this book, it was out of philosophy that science was born. It is the same world that philosophy, science, and art are all exploring. All three confront the mystery of the world’s existence and our existence as human beings, and try to achieve a deeper understanding of it. All three make perpetual use of both inspiration and criticism. And all three make their findings public so that they can be shared. But because they use different methods, and follow different paths, they may sometimes appeal to different temperaments. Yet they share the goal of exploring human knowledge and experience, and trying to bring what is hidden to light, and organize their findings into publicly articulate form. They enrich one another, and a fully rounded human being will find himself becoming naturally interested in all three.

I don’t claim to have the answer to this question. I don’t think there is one single answer. I would like to persuade, however, those who answer a simple Yes or No with ‘strong feelings’ to reconsider the question entirely.