In this speech given for the opening of a new theater in England, the British actor/director Richard Eyre talks about the “theaterness” of theater and about how the arts help provide meaning in an otherwise “meaningless” life (see his mention of the famous quote by philosopher George Santayana that “music is useless, as life is”). Eyre asks several thought-provoking questions:

• Do we believe that if something is popular it can’t be art?
• What is the difference between art and entertainment?
• Is Bob Dylan a better poet than Keats?

Consider your answers to his questions, then thinking about these:

• Which type of artwork (music, theater, visual, film, sculpture, architecture, literature, poetry,…) excites or interests or inspires you most on a consistent basis?  In short, what are you drawn to most often?  Why do you think that is?
• In terms of what we’ve learned about critical thinking, what assumptions or evidence would you need to consider to answer a question like “is poet A better than poet B”?
• Do you agree with George Santayana that life is useless and that art tries to help us make sense of that uselessness?  How does it do that?