Philosophy, Music and Universality – a discussion with Carl Korsnes | Pep Organ

Carl Korsnes is a Norwegian philosopher, who is the founder and editor for Sivilisasjonen (Civilisation) magazine. I reached out to him after discovering some of his discussions for the Cave of Apelles and The Representational Art Conference. I was fascinated by his Aristotelian philosophy, which aligned with my own ideas about art, and knew that we should have a conversation that developed these views.

You can find English-translated articles from Sivilisasjonen here: https://sivilisasjonen.no/english/
Listen to Korsnes’ lecture on self-expression from The Representational Art Conference:    • Is Self-expression a Bad Idea? | Carl...  

[1:47] Introduction and Korsnes’ magazine

[4:17] What are Universal values?

[7:17] Brentano’s Theory of Philosophical Cycles

[11:02] How did art become post-modern and inaccessible?

[13:29] We should treat Art like a craft.

[16:42] Removing your personality from your art.

[23:11] Obsession with the “Genius”.

[26:58] Schubert: God-Gifted, or Hard-working?

[29:59] Compositional craft

[32:26] Students not accepted to art schools if they paint traditionally.

[34:10] My own experiences at university

[37:20] Beethoven and the rise of self-expression

[41:11] Breaking the rules

[44:37] Music develops later than other art forms?

[46:15] The movie industry is not dominated by experimentalism.

[47:27] Kant discouraged emotional responses to Art

[51:45] The Modernist / Classical divide in the purpose of Art.

[53:58] Aristotle’s theory of mimesis: Art as representation

[57:20] What does Music represent?

[1:05:20] Does culture inform our appreciation of music? Hearing Western Music for the first time.

[1:10:30] Hearing Balinese Gamelan for the first time.

[1:12:22] Why was the Romantic Era so successful?

[1:19:14] Individualism’s contradictions: Restrictions on orchestral freedom

[1:22:27] Historical Performance and Primary Source obsession

[1:25:09] Performing and Composing are different crafts

[1:28:29] Composers and artists don’t need to “feel” the emotions of their art, only imbue the work with that feeling.

[1:34:16] How should performers express themselves?

[1:36:25] Should the Government fund Classical Arts? The Australian opera situation.

[1:49:19] Private sponsorship of the arts.

[1:55:11] Can an artwork created unethically still be appreciated?

[1:59:15] Owning your culture means addressing its flaws, not attacking its historical art.

[2:02:08] As time passes, the cultural associations of art are lost, and only the beauty remains.

[2:05:20] Classical art is so beautiful and timeless. Why is it not the centre of today’s culture?

[2:11:03] Classical architecture in Australia today.

[2:16:45] Finishing Remarks


Apologies for the occasion buzzing noises and sound cut-outs, it’s all an unpredictable part of online discussions.

Sign up to the monthly Pep Organ Newsletter – it’s free! http://bit.ly/PepNews
Support me on Patreon:   / peporgan  

If you enjoy this video, please subscribe to Pep Organ for a new upload every Saturday.