Single Idea 20438

[catalogued under 21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 7. Ontology of Art]

Full Idea

The most miserable performance without actual mistakes does count as an instance of a work, …but the most brilliant performance with a single wrong note does not.

Gist of Idea

A performance is only an instance of a work if there is not a single error

Source

Nelson Goodman (Languages of Art (2nd edn) [1968], p.186), quoted by Alessandro Giovannelli - Nelson Goodman (aesthetics)

Book Reference

'Key Thinkers in Aesthetics', ed/tr. Giovannelli,Alessandro [Continuum 2012], p.174


A Reaction

Mereological essentialism applied to art! You need to be a highly theoretical and technical philosopher (which Goodman was) to maintain such a weird and contrary-usage proposal.

Related Ideas

Idea 15512 In mereology no two things consist of the same atoms [Lewis]

Idea 12875 One false note doesn't make it a performance of a different work [Simons]