The Arts and Crafts Continuum

One potential pitfall of our myriad creative drives is the risk of detaching from reality. We may create a bubble where self-absorbed feedback loops distort our perspective, leading to isolation within our small segment of a vast civilization. Religion and philosophy can become commodified, caught up in academic squabbles, appearing outdated as they compete with more effective scientific and industrial advancements.

Questioning the essence of art may seem trivial in this context. Is art merely the ephemeral stream of emojis that rush by during our internet surfing, or the binge-worthy television shows and forgettable editorials? How could one discern any deeper, cohesive meaning in these fleeting experiences?

In an era overwhelmed by digital art and its trivialization, it's vital to elevate art by recognizing its interconnectedness with all human creations, including our tools, machinery, urban landscapes, and the worldviews that fill our minds.

Many animal species modify their habitats to build nests or shelters, but they lack the hyper-creativity of humans. While animals find equilibrium with their environments, we pursue endless growth and dominion over the earth.

Nature is No Blank Slate

The search for art's purpose lies in how we relate to nature, shaping our identity as distinct beings. Are we treating the natural canvas we inhabit as a blank slate, despite our overwhelming productivity that disrupts our roles as social mammals?

This canvas comprises untouched wilderness, a world that evolved long before humanity emerged. Are we merely filling in a void left by natural forces? Are we correcting nature’s supposed underutilization of creativity by constructing a world we deem should have existed?

Such assumptions are absurd. The wilderness, encompassing not just our planet but also distant stars and galaxies, was not an unformed void. Nature was busy creating a staggering variety of life long before humanity arrived.

Consider what a blank canvas signifies for an artist or a writer. The fear of this emptiness embodies an overwhelming array of possibilities, which can stifle creativity. Would any specific order truly improve upon pure nothingness? Contemplating the emergence of existence from nothingness can be paralyzing and hinder artistic inspiration.

In contrast to the notion of an artist’s block, modern humans burst onto the scene with cultural expressions approximately fifty thousand years ago, as evidenced by the archaeological record. Our ancestors were not intimidated by a blank slate; rather, they encountered a vibrant wilderness, teeming with life.

The Artificial Alternative to Nature

The canvas upon which humanity crafts its collective masterpiece possessed intrinsic value for our forebears, rather than being a neutral backdrop. What might that value have been? Overall, was it positive or negative?

While certainty eludes us, it’s plausible that for eons, hunter-gatherers felt at home in nature or lacked the self-awareness that breeds alienation. Their egalitarian communities focused on the collective welfare, with each individual fulfilling a vital role.

At some juncture, as language began to organize knowledge, early humans likely started to apply reasoning to themselves, perceiving nature’s spirits in wildlife, weather, and seasons. This marked a shift from a naïve enchantment with nature to a more alienated perspective, coinciding with the emergence of modern behavior and cultural production, including the arts.

As urban centers developed, this burgeoning Promethean egoism intensified, fostering potential alienation. The concentration of people in cities distanced us from wilderness, inviting speculations about our significance in the universe. The upper classes, in particular, distanced themselves from ecological balance, indulging in power dynamics and self-absorption. Civilization became solipsistic as we crafted an artificial alternative to nature.

The Aesthetic Status of Our Promethean Revolt

The Promethean ideal suggests a mechanism that ensures our happiness while transcending nature's cycles, an aspiration fundamentally opposed to natural principles. This vision aligns with Eastern philosophies seeking liberation from nature, promoting a state of blissful detachment from the illusions of the natural world, alongside technoscientific advancements fueling consumerism.

While there are movements advocating a return to nature, these are outliers that underscore the prevailing cultural disdain for wilderness. Our identity is shaped by dissatisfaction with nature and the pursuit of a more convenient, flattering existence.

In Western religious thought, this Promethean inclination mirrors Luciferian rebellion, illustrated by the myth of the heavenly conflict, suggesting an intrinsic "original sin." As Augustine noted in The City of God, "it is a perverse kind of elevation indeed to forsake the foundation upon which the mind should rest."

However, this theistic viewpoint presupposes a revolt against an ideal creator rather than nature itself. The historical context of our rebellion is far more comprehensible. If regarding oneself as the foundation for existence is sinful, does that not extend to God, whose freedom also lacks external grounding?

Ultimately, we turned from the wilderness, captivated by our cognitive and creative abilities, building fortifications and pooling resources to refine our crafts and arts. Nature's creative powers, while awe-inspiring, are also alien and monstrous in their apparent godlessness. Our preference for human companionship stems from our evolutionary predisposition to socialization, leading us to escape nature's harshness for human-centered sanctuaries.

Animism sought communion with nature, casting spells and praying for favor, yet such endeavors yielded no progress. Perhaps all complex societies require these myths for cooperation among strangers. However, civilizations that bolstered their myths with tangible advances proved more attractive than nomadic lifestyles.

Thus, if our arts and crafts stem from an aesthetic reaction to nature's otherness, all our creations, perceived as more significant than art, are similarly rooted in aesthetic values. We regard tools as extensions of ourselves, yet from this philosophical perspective, they are as vain as our most indulgent artworks.

The Imperative of Building a Fitting Home

In our quest for self-exploration, we've distanced ourselves from nature, heightening our egoistic tendencies and self-image as planetary masters. What else could have driven our ambitions but the Promethean/Luciferian dynamic? A human infant is nurtured in a caregiver’s embrace, yet our species emerged from a chaotic, indifferent void.

While life thrived when we first appeared in Africa, those creatures were not human; they were bound by evolutionary instincts, while we developed rational autonomy, setting ourselves apart from what we could not design or control. Animals, as prey or domesticated companions, could not guide us in navigating our personhood or godlike intellect.

Contrary to conservative religious narratives, we lacked suitable guides or lawgivers. Our mentality evolved by chance, requiring trial and error for understanding. We emerged from nature but resented its lack of a nurturing, intelligent parent; its indifference was the source of our struggles. Infants are born helpless and innocent, and as a species, we collectively share this condition. Thus, the original sin lies not with us, but with nature, rooted in the universe's inherent godlessness.

Philosophically, what is art? It represents merely the tip of an expansive aesthetic iceberg. Everything is art. Human creativity is a response to nature's artistry, which is both sublime and unsettling. For every unfathomable celestial body that nature creates, it remains fundamentally inhuman, especially as modern science and philosophy challenge traditional theistic views. We strive to enhance nature's artistry with our intelligent designs, which we believe should have existed from the outset.

Every utterance and action we take embodies art, reflecting our identities shaped by the narratives we construct. Nature conceived us within its monstrous artistry, but as expected from such a creation, we veered off course. We developed self-awareness and the cognitive ability to recognize the grotesqueness of our existential plight.

We are the art that has escaped its inhuman creator, filling our terrestrial existence with human artistry to counter nature's chaotic waywardness. With its vastness and lack of guiding purpose, the natural universe feels out of control. We did not flee a paradise or Eden, as naïve religions suggest; rather, we abandoned our state of homelessness, preferring the constructed shelters we inhabit, which are the only true homes we shall ever know.