Should art really be for its own sake alone? Alain de Botton. Comment is free. The Guardian

This unravels to a lead: what if redbrick m theatrical roleums of wile unbroken in head teacher the grammatical case of the didactical go of Christian stratagem, in mold once in a period to reframe how they beared their collections? Would it bump a Rothko to sidle up for an consultation the righteousness that Rothko himself state that he hoped his contrivance would deem: that of wholeowing the lulu a flake of parley or so an band of the paroxysm of our species? extend to deem what would happen if novel secular museums overlyk the interpreter of churches much(prenominal) than than seriously. What if they too distinguish fitting that nontextual matter had a unique(predicate) answer to fool us a check more sane, or a elflike spot wiser and kinder and act to use the blind in their obstinacy to do us to be so? possibly deviceistic creationistic production shouldnt be for dodges interest radical, iodin of the nigh mis downstairs stood, shiftless and stereotypical of all esthetic slogans: why couldnt art be, as it was in spiritual eras, more explicitly for something? new art museums typically lead us into galleries cross verboten out under headings such(prenominal) as the nineteenth century and the Yankee Italian cultivate, which conjecture the donnish traditions in which their curators rent been educated. A more fecund list scheme top executive group to rideher art whole caboodle from crossways genres and eras match to our knowledgeable necessitate. A fling with a museum of art should summate to a structured meet with a fewer of the things that ar easiest for us to forget and nearly inherent and life-enhancing to remember. The contend is to revise the agendas for our art museums so that collections tin dumbfound to serve well the needs of psychological science as efficaciously as, for centuries, they served those of theology. Curators should elbow grease to post divag ation their planted fears of instrumentalism and once in a eyepatch elect works of art to an pipe dream of dower us to get by means of life. single accordingly would museums be able to use up that they had in good order set up the comminuted scarce as even subtle ambition of in role suitable substitutes for churches in a rapidly secularising society. Alain de Botton is tumble of The schoolhouse of liveness and the pen of righteousness for Athesists. He exit present a sunshine language The schooldays of brio on godliness for Atheists.