Dickie Q&A #1

1)      Dickie states that status is conferred in the artworld by means similar to a person being elected Rotary President, or gaining the status of “wise man” within the community.  Could he be implying that his institution relies more on societal pressure and hierarchy for structure, instead of adding more stringent conditions to his definition of art?

dk

df I think that this could be a legitimate tool of Dickie's.  He does make the point that his version of the artworld maintains legitimacy, while at the same time being open to "frivolous" art.  Perhaps Dickie is relying upon the members of the inner inner circle to keep the unspoken rules, and maintain the integrity of his social system.  Dickie does elaborate on the status of various members of the artworld, and even uses examples of how one might gain this status, such as, wise man of the town.  This somewhat unspoken yet largely universal consent by townspeople provides a plausible example of what Dickie's version of social justice and responsibility may be.  

      "My thesis is that, in a way analogous to the way in which a person is certified as qualified for office, or two persons acquire the status of common -law marriage within a legal system, or a person is elected president of the Rotary, or a person acquires the status of wise man within a community, so an artifact can acquire the status of candidate for appreciation within the social system called 'the artworld' " (Dickie, 432).  

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