By its original and broadest definition, art (from the Latin ars, meaning "skill" or "craft") is the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge, most often using a set of skills; this meaning is preserved in such phrases as "liberal arts" and "martial arts". However, in the modern use of the word, which rose to prominence after 1750, “art” is commonly understood to be skill used to produce an aesthetic result (Hatcher, 1999). Britannica Online defines it as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others"[Britannica Online]. By any of these definitions of the word, artistic works have existed for almost as long as humankind, from early pre-historic art to contemporary art.
Defining art
How best to define the term “art” is a subject of much contention; many books and journal articles have been published arguing over even the basics of what we mean by the term “art” (Davies, 1991 and Carroll, 2000). Theodor Adorno claimed in 1969 “It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident any more.” (Danto, 2003). Indeed, it is not even clear anymore who has the right to define art. Artists, philosophers, anthropologists, and psychologists all use the notion of art in their respective fields, and give it operational definitions that are not very similar to each others.
Nonetheless we can make some progress towards defining art in its most everyday senses. The first broadest sense of “art” is the one that has stayed closest to the older Latin meaning, which roughly translates to "skill" or "craft", and also from an Indo-European root meaning "arrangement" or "to arrange". In this sense, art is whatever is described as having undergone a deliberate process of arrangement by an agent. A few examples where this meaning proves very broad include artifact, artificial, artifice, artillery, medical arts, and military arts. However, there are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymology.
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eWeek - RSS FeedsFAA Flight-Plan System Has Long History of Problems Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:00:16 -0400
Investigations reveal that the 20-year-old, mainframe-based IT system has crashed several times in the last nine years and that the FAA has been planning its replacement for at least four years. But a new, next-generation IT system won't be on line until at least the end of 2008. Meanwhile, the old system creaks along on a wing and a prayer. -
A major portion of the decades-old national air-traffic control system used to manage thousands of commercial and general aviation takeoffs and landings every day in the U.S. has crashed multiple times under the 20-year strain of its 24/7 operations.
As a result, industry analysts and a numbe...
Toshiba Tecra A9: Powerful Computing Today and Tomorrow Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:15:57 -0400
Small companies in competitive fields need exceptionally secure and durable laptops that pack top-notch wireless connectivity and productivity tools. The Toshiba Tecra A9, with its built-in EasyGuard® security features, delivers these critical elements and lets companies maximize their technology investment. - Video Content....
Toshiba Satellite Pro L300: Meeting Small Businesses Needs Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:14:52 -0400
Small-business workers need computing solutions that boost productivity and support their multiple tasks seamlessly. To find out exactly what theyre looking for, we surveyed 172 professionals in companies with 10-99 employees. The results reveal a growing demand for business-ready laptops that can be used reliably for years at a time. The Toshiba Satellite Pro L300 delivers all the major productivity and reliability features highlighted in the survey, and provides several innovations that help small operations take their business to the next level. - Video Content....
Phishing Cyber Gang Upgrades to Fast-Flux Botnet Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:00:39 -0400
According to researchers on the RSA FraudAction team, the Rock Phish gang has moved its infrastructure to the notorious Asprox botnet. Security researchers believe the move may precede an increase in phishing activity using the Asprox botnet. - Researchers at RSA, EMCs security division, believe the Rock Phish gang has upgraded its infrastructure to improve its ability to launch phishing attacks.
According to the RSA FraudAction Research Lab, the Rock Phish group has moved its operations from its traditional botnet to the fast-flux infra...
IT3 with Eric Lundquist, Sept. 3, 2008 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:51:40 -0400
Software in standalone boxes, passwords and a belt full of personal devices will disappear over the next five years. In this episode of Three Things, Eric Lundquist explains why you will no longer buy standalone software from retail stores, why passwords are a poor substitute for security and geeks will no longer be identified by lots of devices hanging from a belt. - Video Content....
Douglas Crockford: 'I Want a Browser War!' Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:55 -0400
Douglas Crockford, a JavaScript architect at Yahoo and the man behind JSON, the JavaScript Object Notation, says he welcomes a browser war if it will bring innovation in the browser space and move the Web forward. Crockford says the browser war between Microsoft and Netscape moved the Web forward but introduced bugs into the network. However, this time standards and the marketplace will keep browser makers in line. Microsoft's complacency after winning the browser war opened the door for innovation by others such as Mozilla and now Google with its Chrome browser. - VIENNA, Va. Douglas
Crockford, a JavaScript architect at Yahoo and founder of the JavaScript Object
Notation, says he wants a browser war. Well, with Google's introduction of its
Chrome browser Sept. 2 he just may have it.
During a keynote at the Rich Web Experience conference here Sept. 4, Croc...
NYT > TechnologyDigital Domain: How Many Reviewers Should Be in the Kitchen? Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:25:08 -0000
Web sites that welcome customer reviews have evolved significantly, producing work that increasingly approaches that of their professional forebears.
Unboxed: When Academia Puts Profit Ahead of Wonder Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:24:23 -0000
The University Small Business Patent Procedures Act is under increasing scrutiny by swelling ranks of critics, who charge that it has distorted the fundamental mission of universities.
Practical Traveler | iPhone E-Guides: Clueless in Cleveland? Use Your Thumb Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:36:35 -0000
From showing you the nearest sushi bar in London to telling you how to say “Where’s the toilet?” in Cantonese, travel apps for the iPhone are proving to be a useful tool.
CNN.com - TechnologyCIA, FBI embrace 'Facebook for spies' Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:08:59 -0400
When you see people at the office using such Internet sites as Facebook, you might suspect those workers are slacking off. But that's not the case at U.S. intelligence agencies, where bosses are encouraging their staffs to use a new social-networking site designed for the secret world of spying.
Asia pollution may boost U.S. temperatures Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:55:23 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
eBay launches planet-friendly retail site Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:01:58 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
NPR Topics: TechnologyParticle Accelerator Helps Test Wine Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:53:00 -0400
Stephen Williams of the Antique Wine Company describes the new high-tech way to determine a wine's vintage.
Voting Technology Evolves In Electronic World Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0400
Officials in many states are concerned about the reliability of electronic voting and are now moving toward systems that can provide a voter-verified paper trail. Larry Norden, author of The Machinery of Democracy, discusses the latest advances in voting technology.
Google Launches 'Chrome' Web Browser Fri, 05 Sep 2008 10:00:00 -0400
Internet search giant Google unveiled Chrome, a new piece of Web browser software on Tuesday. Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of SearchEngineLand.com, explains what Google's open-source browser can do, and why a search engine leader wants to get into the Web software market.
BBC News | Technology | UK EditionOne Laptop signs up with Amazon Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:23:44 -0000
Online retailer Amazon will help the One Laptop Per Child organisation with its plans to sell its XO laptop in the US.
Chaos at £20,000 petrol giveaway Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:17:46 -0000
There are reports of chaos at a petrol station which gave away £20,000 of petrol to promote a video game.
'Jules Verne' begins final voyage Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:27:47 -0000
Europe's space freighter undocks from the International Space Station after completing its mission to the orbiting platform.
Reuters Video: TechnologyReuters Technology Week Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:06:17 -0400
Sep. 5 - A highly anticipated videogame, Spore, lets you rewrite the Book of Genesis as you create your own sci-fi society.
Sims creator launches 'Spore' Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:14:44 -0400
Sep 5 - Video game designer Will Wright says his latest game will enable users to create the worlds while learning about evolutionary biology.
Sony Reader launches in UK Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:59:51 -0400
Sep 4 - The Japanese electronics company is getting some help from Britain's biggest book chain for the UK launch of its electronic book.
AP Top Technology News At 1:23 a.m. EDTGoogle reigns as world's most powerful 10-year-oldBy MICHAEL LIEDTKE Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:23:17 -0000
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) -- When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor's $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world....
Microsoft deploying in-store customer-service repsBy RACHEL METZ Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:47:01 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- As part of its new $300 million marketing campaign and image makeover, Microsoft Corp. plans to deploy its own customer-service representatives at retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City to help people with their PC purchases....
Tech firms fare better than most in jobs slumpBy BARBARA ORTUTAY Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:21:54 -0000
NEW YORK (AP) -- Technology appears to be one of the least hard-hit sectors in an economy beset by unemployment at a five-year high....
CNET News.comGoogle-focused satellite enters orbit Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:33:22 -0700
The search titan has exclusive rights among online mapping sites to images from the new GeoEye-1 satellite, which launched Saturday.
In NFL deal, an extra point for Adobe's Flash Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:40:09 -0700
Football fans will get to see live streaming of NBC's Sunday night games via Flash--not NBC's Olympic teammate, Silverlight.
Chris Shipley 1, Internet lynch mob 0 Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:51:00 -0700
Demo's impresario goes public with a tart and smartly written riposte to the shoot-from-the-lip crowd.
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