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orthoxeroxyesterday at 11:34 AM2 repliesview on HN

What if my pasties cannot be singled out by any Karelian chef in a blind taste test? Does it matter how they were made?


Replies

array_key_firsttoday at 5:39 AM

Yes, because when it comes to most artist expression the process behind it is the product. These pastries have cultural weight, so their value is inseperable from that.

Think of it this way. Nobody would eat a Karelian pastry and not care that it's Karelian. That's why they're eating it, otherwise they'd just eat some other pastry without the cultural weight.

It's the same thing with paintings and sculptures. The painting has value because someone thought it up and put the time to make it. And you view it not for the colors, but what they mean. Why did they choose to paint this? What was going through their heads? What is their perspective?

If you just shoot out a painting, it has no value, because the value isn't the painting. It's your take, your perspective, and the painting is a tiny window into that.

regentbowerbirdyesterday at 12:08 PM

If you consider only the product is relevant and not how it is made, then no it does not matter; or at least it doesn't matter as long as you don't personally attach any emotional qualities to products beyond their material qualities (unlike the vast majority of people).

But the comment you reply to explicitly points out the process is in fact relevant as it is itself a cultural artifact. You're not replying to their main point.

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