Ruminations, Haunts, and Errors

Some days the newspaper is filled with nothing more than the usual mix of the interesting, annoying, and banal that makes up ‘news’. It’s nice to find a couple nuggets of more profound thoughts like these I found in the Tribune today…

• In a review of how artists’ views of work have changed over the last century or so, Julia Keller writes

  art is the best intellectual tool we possess for dealing with ambiguity

  That strikes me as pithy, for it not only is a succinct description of how art fits into our society, but it also possibly explains why many so-called cultural conservatives so vehemently oppose many art projects (and support structures like the NEA or NEH): their religious/cultural dogmas tend to cover up or explain away the ambiguities of life, and thus those who follow such doctrines would probably prefer to avoid anything that might challenge (or even refute) that simple, clear worldview.
• In his review of the latest, recently revealed <a href=”http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0409020184sep02,1,6031304.story” plans for Block 37, Blair Kamin said

  One of the best features of the plan is that it promises shops of various sizes, an intricate mix of activities rather than a few big things jammed together. That’s the kind of variety that makes cities hum.

  which I think is the best summary I’ve ever seen of what distinguishes the feel of genuineness in a city (or even a old, quaint small town) from the more bland, forced feel of many suburbs.