i ask this question because, as a student of philosophy, i am always amazed to see people enjoying watching horrific movies but hate to see that happening in reality. so, if that is the case, why are we so interested in watching these movies. is it because by nature we are imitative creatures as Aristotle said? or we are just doing that out of being interested? Thus, the whole question is firmly based on pain and pleasure found in art but avoided in rea;ty.
2006-10-06 00:42:02 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Because we know that if faced with horrific events, we would really not enjoy it but part of us is primed to be ready for such events because they do happen occasionally. If we can 'exercise' the required reactions and emotions without getting into the horrific situation, we can be prepared without having to go through the true horror, which would, of course be damaging. It's the only way we can practise for these terrible events without getting harmed because the events are, by definition, very dangerous. Perhaps.
2006-10-06 00:47:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you ever heard of Catharsis? You should maybe check out the concept, which derives from ancient Greek theatre. You seem to have read Aristotle so maybe you have read about it?
Catharsis is the experience of going through an event vicariously and thus purging the terror that you feel for it in your everyday life.
Naturally most people would suffer terrible angst and terror if they actually went through some of the events that they happily watch other people go through in a movie! But by seeing it happen at a remove from their own reality, they are able to feel the fear in safety and it has (supposedly) a purgative effect. I don't know how true this is of the kinds of movies we see today, which are extremely violent and gory. Some people even contend that they have the opposite effect and make us actually want to go out and be violent instead of feeling purged of our violence! But what we do know from experience is that it is fun to feel scared as long as you know there is no real danger, and we can see this from a very young age in children's games. So maybe it is innately human, maybe it is some kind of practice run for when we need to be scared for real and our survival may depend upon it.
No one likes to see the same horrors when they know it is real - that is too close for comfort. It is no longer removed reality, no longer safe. Real horrific events feel threatening and shocking and the natural responses of shock, anxiety and fear are not pleasant feelings at all. Enough blurb from me! Hope it was interesting.
2006-10-09 13:02:19 · answer #2 · answered by Siouxsie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because god & devil both exists together in the mind.
devil part enjoys the things, at the same time god part condemns it.
Perhaps animal in us like those things and our education,believes,religions or ideas about good and bad or a fear wants to repress it.
perhaps a fight between our true nature and the imposed nature.
we can look around us, many people has one character of being loving & compassionate and suddenly they got in power and they
change completely.what it shows it was already there repressed some where.
we are ignorant most of the time about ourselves. Many times we see people doing things and we think, how come people can do that. perhaps we never had the chance to be in the same kind of circumstances. I think because we have both good & evil inside.
I don't know if this is the right answer, but I felt to share something because its good question.
thx
2006-10-06 10:54:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most things I watch on TV or film always ends up with the good buys winning and the baddies taking a fall. I like to see justice, because it doesn't appear to happen very often in real life.
But I do not like splatter movies, some peopple like to be shocked and because they know it isn't real, they do not hold all the same emotions as they would in real life.
2006-10-06 07:56:27 · answer #4 · answered by michelle a 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think as humans we enjoy feeling the whole spectrum of emotion, but since we also have feelings: to be disgusted, afraid or abhorred at the expense of another person, it is easier if we know that it is fiction, but we still like to see carnage, thus the term rubber necking if there is an accident everybody has to look at it, if someone gets hurt or killed everybody around want to check it out, humans like to be put out of their comfort zone, but to repeat myself, if it is fiction we are able to aviod the underlying sense of sorrow or guilt associated with it
2006-10-06 07:48:27 · answer #5 · answered by ninja cat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In art, we know it will end somewhere, and the whole process is within control to slow , hasten or abort. Not so with reality !
So makes sense avoiding it !
2006-10-07 11:48:12 · answer #6 · answered by Spiritualseeker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first,being a philosopher,the right question would be: ,"why do I enjoy painf.....etcetc",cps some enjoy real pain,and not look 4 it in "ART"......and then go into long expensive therapy if it constitutes a prob 4 u ...a possible ANSWER to ur question would lie in the basic cowardice of most people..... : )
2006-10-06 08:12:51 · answer #7 · answered by GANJI 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pain, suffering, horror, terror - they're part of the human condition so people want to see them. Another part of the human condition is trying to avoid them.
2006-10-06 08:02:38 · answer #8 · answered by isildurs_babe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Only Romantics feel 'pain' in Art. The rest of us just feel pain.
2006-10-09 05:49:37 · answer #9 · answered by los 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we try to avoid it, yes.
I, honestly, sometimes think that it will make my life more interesting if movie like things happen in my life...
cause, mostly, everything ends happily.
that's why it's art.
2006-10-06 07:58:10 · answer #10 · answered by haloed_dreamer 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋