Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art

Aestheticism, Pop Culture, Evil & Oscar Wilde

Geoff Klock at The Old Stone House

Mon, Oct 16 at 7:30 p.m.   |   90 minutes


Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art -- and by extension pop culture. It was an idea that gave us stunning paintings that are just splashes of color and movies that are pure roller coasters. But did removing accuracy and moral aims from art lead us into our current predicament where we blame stories for preaching violence, patriarchy, racism and sexism? Join us on Oscar Wilde's birthday at the Old Stone House to discuss.

Teacher: Geoff Klock

Geoff Klock has a doctorate from Oxford and is a professor at BMCC-CUNY. He teaches philosophy (mostly the philosophy of art), Shakespeare, canonical poetry in English, parables, and film (mostly movies about movies, and David Lynch). He is the author of four academic books on things like television shows and superheroes and has been cited 290 times.


Venue: The Old Stone House
Add to Calendar Oct. 16, 20177:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 2017 America/New_York Think Olio | Aestheticism, Pop Culture, Evil & Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde popularized the idea that Beauty, rather than Truth or Goodness, should be the aim of art None

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Olio: A miscellaneous collection of art and literature.