About the BSEC

Hey guys!
I am really getting bogged down with the inspection stuff. No time to do any random musings. Anyhow, the BSEC entries we selected and sent from India were - (Results of our eval)

• Abhinav Menon
• Nishith Khandwala
• Asit Tarsode

Should expect the final results by 18th or 19th of Nov. Link to the main site is on the baltic sea page.
Dont really have time for detailed comments, but what we generally thought was as follows:

1. Most essays were better written than the previous year. (mostly by the same students, so I can say Shlok, Devendra and some others have improved consistently)
2. Ayushi needs to focus more on the critical thinking to improve. She is steady in her score, but a 7.5 is needed to go up in the IPO.
3. Abhinav did almost as well as expected.
4. Nishith seems distracted. Could have done much better.
5. Asit needs to give more thought to what he is writing. For that he needs more practice in critical thinking.
6. Amruta too couldn't grasp the essence of the topic and as such put up a superficial argument. Could have done much better.
7. Yash, Mohit & Mansi - its your first time to do something like this, so its fine. Keep at it and you should get better.
8. Overall, I guess, I didn't spend enough time in discussions with you guys. We need more head-banging (offline or online) to get on track. I am afraid that cant happen before the Abhinav Philosopher (scheduled on 14th - 17th Dec, Stage 1 and the 22nd Dec, Stage 2). But as soon as January comes and Stimulus and the inspection are over - We should get serious.

Baltic Sea Essay Competition

Hey guys!
I know, i was supposed to continue discussions on this blog for aesthetics. However, I got really busy with the admin work for inspections we are having at school. Nevertheless, I have two announcements to make:

1. BSEC: The Baltic Sea Essay Competition held each year by Baltic countries on the advent of the UNESCO World Philosophy Day celebrations (14-15 Nov) is announced as follows.
1. We conduct the essay-writing on this Saturday, 27 Oct 2012 from 9 am to 11:00 am IST
2. I then review the essays to select the best two and send them to the organizers
3. Results should be declared by 15th Nov on the site http://feto.fi/filosofia_paiva_2010.htm
4. Rules for the competition are simple:
1. It is intended for Indian students of high school, however motivated younger students are also welcome. (Non Resident Indians are also allowed to participate)
2. Students should choose from between four topics, which will be sent to them / their teachers via mail about 10 min before the competition begins.
3. Students should not use internet resources and should especially refrain from giving direct quotes from internet sources, simply to spice-up their essay.
4. I should get the essay by mail before 11:30 am on the same day, i.e. within 2.5 hrs. at director@abhinav.ac.in
5. If you are interested ... send me a mail at the above address, so I get your email ID
6. If you cannot type on the computer comfortably, you may even write by hand on paper and then send me a image of each page via email. (please note - I am not a chemist or doctor, so please use legible handwriting)
2. The first stage of selection for the Indian Team to go to the IPO 2013 - Denmark, begins around 15th Dec, 2012. Stay tuned.

What qualifies Art?

Hello there!

Let's begin this new season of discussing philosophy online by starting with Aesthetics. This is part of getting-used-to training before the first round of the Indian Philosophy Olympiad is conducted (around November-End-December). These sessions will be largely blog assignments put up every saturday and feedback by the next saturday. I am trying to get the online lectures to work out for a larger audience (we could manage for a few people using Google / Yahoo or Tinychat last summer) and will inform you all asap.

So here goes:

What can be described as the qualities Art (read: a work of art) must possess to be described as art?

1. Beauty: How would you define it? Is it subjective? (i.e. lies in the eyes of the beholder)
2. Rationality: Should art confirm to logic? Can a artist not be wildly imaginitive? Should the work of art present its reasons to exist within it?
3. Truth: Should art confirm to reality? Can it not distort reality?
4. Heroism: Should art only describe the best and the most honorable in society? (many a times an artist shows a hero in contrast with a villain, this is allowed by the question) Can art not be about the bland, pallid, passive, commoner aspects of life?
5. Purpose: Should art have a purpose? Can it not be vague and apparently "meaningless"?

State your point of view to these as comments in as brief manner as possible. Later we examine more qualities, ultimately to try and determine those qualities which help us judge Art.