(This is part 1 of a 2-part course.)
Cultural optimists believe that Americans live in a flourishing artistic age—as evidenced by the amount of art being produced and consumed, the development of new media, and improvements to traditional media. A larger number of pessimists despair over the degeneracy of contemporary arts culture—evidence is easily available here, too—and many from the left and the right attack capitalism as the primary problem. In these two lectures, Professor Hicks will address two questions: To what extent is American art culture degenerate or flourishing? And does capitalism deserve blame or praise?
Stephen Hicks is Professor of Philosophy and Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship at Rockford College in Illinois.