Questions, With No Real Answers

So what does it mean to "write it down"? To save a piece of information by putting it in a book, on a sticky note, or in a planner? To write/(take) notes instead of just listening? To send a handwritten letter or card, as opposed to a store-bought one, or even an email? How does the significance of writing versus memorization compare in our time? How would it have compared in the time periods we are discussing?

I really didn't do much research for this post, but I am enjoying the thought experiment.  "Critically" thinking about what we have learned about writing so far, and how it has changed our perspective on the world, and how it must have changed the ancients' perspectives.  So I am basically answering the previous questions with my personal, educated opinions, and I want this post to open the blog to yours too.

European Writing and Art.

Europe is famous for it's philosophy and art. Both are ways in which knowledge and ideas can be passed down and preserved.

School of Athens painting by Raphael.

I realize Europe covered a broad range of civilizations, but I wanted to specifically talk about the influences that certain civilizations had during the Renaissance era.

Although technically not an apprenticeship, the teachings of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (as I mentioned in my previous post) were passed on orally throughout the Greek Civilization. However, the development of various writing systems allowed their philosophies to be written and made available to many others, which lead them to be understood by many others. As a result of being written down, thoughts were preserved not only for the use of those who lived during the Renaissance era, but for the many generations of people who lived after the Renaissance era. Written forms of thoughts also made it easier for one to be taught or tutored by others, since philosophies and actual facts could be referenced without having to be memorized.

Michelangelo's Pieta.

Regarding Ancient Greece, "specific craft-based evidence is scanty, and we remain in darkness about the content and duration of these apprenticeships...[but] the tradition of known apprenticeships can cover a span of many generations...[As for the trade of sculpting] each sculptor beginning as an apprentice and then becoming a teacher to a new aspiring sculptor. This craft relationship is further strengthened by a blood relationship, since crafts were very often family-based, with the father teaching his son or a male relative" (Apprenticeship in Ancient Greece). Unlike philosophical tutoring, painting and sculpting were considered actual trades. These skills were used to provide income for the artist and the family, which is why it was most often passed on through relatives.

Italian artists also continued their trade mainly through relatives or close family friends. Michelangelo, for example, was sent off at a young age to live with a wet nurse who was married to a stone cutter. At a very young age, Michelangelo began to develop a love for stone and as he became older he was taught by the stone cutter how to handle various types of stone. Now, years later, Michelangelo is known for his many famous sculptings such as the "Pieta," "Madonna of the Stairs" and "David."

These sculptures are now records, different than that of a written record, which help us to determine the thoughts and ideologies that Renaissance artists and people in general had about religion and philosophy through the means of emotion.

Through both written philosophy and preserved works of art, we have been able to unravel the ideas and thoughts that Ancient scholars and artists had which have greatly impacted how we, as a Western culture, view the world. How do art and writing, which are both expressive and informative forms of preservation, differ in the ways of how we understand Ancient cultures'? What are some pros and cons to each method of preserving ideas and passing along knowledge?