In the second book, "What's Wrong with the Diet? What is the role of the psyche?" the key role of the psyche in people's eating behavior was revealed. Harmony in the psyche becomes the engine for future changes in the eating behavior of people with...
What we are exploring: What is postculture and why is it important for us to know it?
What's new: How to avoid the influence of postculture and why is it important?
What we will learn: How to distinguish postculture from classical culture?
1. Our results support the view that cultural factors distort visual experience. The environment defines certain perceptual features as characteristic of a particular human culture at a given time, resulting in a typical aesthetic perception. Beauty is truly in the "eyes of the beholder" (Yan T., et al. 2019) [1].
2. From the position of Culture * postculture appears as a "culture" with an empty center, as if one shell of culture, under which there is emptiness, or, in modern language, it is a simulacrum of Culture (Bychkov V.V. 2012) [2].
* The use of a capital letter in the word "culture" in this quote and those following it corresponds to the original text of the author V.V. Bychkov.
3. Beauty is in the "eyes of the beholder." Cultivating a sense of beauty (aesthetics) can begin with fine art, which is more accessible to our eyes. After all, it is called upon to mimesis (imitate) all the visible and tangible beauty of the surrounding world. Nevertheless, it is worth emphasizing the main role of the person himself in the development of a sense of beauty. You are a cutter who owns a priceless diamond - soul and body. But to cut a diamond correctly, you need knowledge about the true beauty of the future diamond - yourself. That's not all. There is another reason why deep knowledge of true beauty is important. In the postculture * that surrounds us, the overwhelming number of art objects are of fake beauty. And without "a jeweler's sense" we are easily deceived - "visual experience is distorted by cultural factors" (III fr. 5. 3, 7).
* Postculture (from the Latin post - "after") is that semblance of Culture that grows out of it and is still masquerading as it, which intensively displaces it in modern civilization and differs from Culture in its essence. More precisely, the absence of one (author's italics) [2].
4. Postcultural distortion of the sense of beauty. To better understand the extent of cultural distortion, let's use the example of the jewelry industry.
Every year, around 200 tons of synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds enter the jewelry industry. The market for colored diamonds weighing up to 1 carat consists of 99% synthetic stones.
Imagine that you bought a synthetic diamond, but paid the price of a natural one. What feelings would you experience? Disappointment, pain from wasted funds, and consequently, a lot of wasted effort and time? Or perhaps a loss of trust and no desire to make the purchase again? Please consider these aspects. However, it's important to consider the reasons for purchasing a synthetic diamond.
This information is based on a report from DTS (Diamond Trading Company), an analytical and marketing company that studies the diamond market."https://www.livemaster.ru/topic/96479-brillianty-vsya-pravda-o-nih
5. Purchasing a fake diamond. Why would someone buy a fake diamond? Yes, it must be admitted that synthetic diamonds are difficult to distinguish from natural diamonds. However, the value of a natural diamond lies in its inner essence, not its outer identity. Yes, of course, it is the inner essence of a natural diamond that makes it so valuable. Without understanding this difference, people waste their money. But how can this be avoided in the future? It is important to learn to see what is hidden behind the external shine, i.e. to expose the very essence or nature of the diamond. In the same way, it is important to learn to distinguish postculture from classical culture.
6. Distinguish postculture from classical culture. The essence of postculture according to aesthetics expert Professor V.V. Bychkova * consists of a simulacrum ** of culture or a complete absence of essence - emptiness. If postculture were just empty, it wouldn't be so dangerous. Its danger lies in deception, fraud, and pretense. Postculture creates an imitation of an entity - a ghost that doesn't exist. Therefore, it can't influence the center of a human's feelings - their heart. Consequently, the ability to sensually perceive beauty is lost, and this is the biggest harm.
* Bychkov Viktor Vasilyevich (born in 1942) is a chief researcher and head of the aesthetics sector at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1972. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree and is a professor. His scientific interests include aesthetics, philosophy of art, art history, and cultural studies. https://iphras.ru/bychkov.htm
** The term "Simulacrum" originated from the Middle English word, meaning "image" or "representation", borrowed from the Latin word "simulācrum", which refers to likeness, visual representation, image, statue, and the appearance of something in the imagination or a dream. The Latin word "simulāre" means "to pretend", "to make a fraudulent imitation", or "to imitate". ("Simulacrum". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simulacrum)
7. Harm from insensitivity. When a person loses the ability to sensually perceive beauty, the precondition for insensitivity towards true beauty is created. Over time, insensitivity leads to bad taste. As a person whose senses have lost the ability to see, smell, touch, and taste, you can serve him any tasty and healthy food - he will not be able to distinguish healthy food from unhealthy food. Likewise, in the modern world, people, due to postculture, have become insensitive to classical culture and are unable to distinguish them. According to Professor V.V. Bychkov, modern postculture is not something holistic and filled with artistic meaning. On the contrary, it is a fragmented former culture, from the fragments of which they are trying to recreate something "special".
• "This is a bizarre mixture, a mosaic of still bright cubes of smalt * culture and countless crafts and refuse of the latest civilization; crafts, however, are not devoid of meaning and original meanings" (author's italics) (Bychkov V.V. 2012) [2 ].
One may get the impression that it has some artistic significance and some meaning, but the continuation of the text by V.V. Bychkova shows that this is not so.
• "This is an extra (over) semantic completion, an illogical end of logical development; a fruit that has absorbed everything, but is something that denies everything that fed it; this is a negation and an affirmation at the same time" (ibid., italics by the author).
This is how a society that has lost the ability to sensually perceive beauty can behave.
* Smalt is cubes or plates of colored opaque glass for mosaic work.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
8. Summary. The sense of beauty can be lost due to the influence of postculture. Nevertheless, it can be restored by classical culture, which is capable of influencing the center of a human's feelings - his heart.
Next chapter: Beauty in Fine Arts
What we are exploring: What happened to culture in the 20th century and how did this affect the perception of body beauty?
What's new: What does the art of imitating reality mean and what does the art of imitating the content of reality mean?
What we will learn: What does it mean to see true beauty?
References
1. Yang T, Silveira S, Formuli A, Paolini M, Pöppel E, Sander T and Bao Y (2019) Aesthetic Experiences Across Cultures: Neural Correlates When Viewing Traditional Eastern or Western Landscape Paintings. Front. Psychol. 10:798. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00798
