--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Artistic judgments are silly if expressed…" description: "\"Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at least until we get an \"artometer\" which can measure objectively how many micro-michelangelos or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/robert-anton-wilson-1198_art_artistic-judgments-are-silly-if-expresse_1451892.jpg" --- # Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at… ![“Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at least until we get an "artometer" which can measure objectively how many micro-michelangelos or kilo-homers of genius a given artifact has in it.” quote by Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/robert-anton-wilson-1198_art_artistic-judgments-are-silly-if-expresse_1451892.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/robert-anton-wilson-1198_art_artistic-judgments-are-silly-if-expresse_1451892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/robert-anton-wilson-1198_art_artistic-judgments-are-silly-if-expresse_1451892.jpg) > “Artistic judgments are silly if expressed as dogmas, at least until we get an "artometer" which can measure objectively how many micro-michelangelos or kilo-homers of genius a given artifact has in it.” [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic value cannot be fixed by rigid rules; only a playful, experimental metric could capture its nuances. **In simple terms:** Art cannot be judged by strict rules. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility in evaluating art. Themes creativity subjectivity evaluation Mood playful thoughtful Type philosophical humorous When to use this quote - art criticism - creative education - museum curation - personal taste Key Concepts Aesthetic relativism measurement theory Questions to Reflect On - How would you design a playful art metric? - Can quantifying art diminish its mystery? A Different Perspective Even a whimsical metric may still miss emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artifacts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artifacts/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Artistic Judgments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic-judgments-5224290/) [Dogma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogma/) [Dogmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogmas/) [Dogmas Artometer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dogmas-artometer-5224289/) [Expressed Dogmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressed-dogmas-5224292/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Judgments Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgments-silly-5224291/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) ## Related quotes > [Money, after all, is an abstract artifact, like language - merely symbolized by the paper or coin or whatever. If you can fully grasp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/money-after-all-is-an-abstract-artifact-like-language-merely/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [If by religion we are to understand sectarian dogmas, in which no two of them agree, then your exclamation on that hypothesis is just,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-by-religion-we-are-to-understand-sectarian-dogmas-in-which-no-two/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [We do not consider our principles as dogmas contained in books that are said to come from heaven. We derive our inspiration, not from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/we-do-not-consider-our-principles-as-dogmas-contained-in-books-that/) [Mustafa Kemal Ataturk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-kemal-ataturk/) > [For how shall we fill people with blind faith in the correctness of a doctrine, if we ourselves spread uncertainty and doubt by constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/for-how-shall-we-fill-people-with-blind-faith-in-the-correctness-of-a/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [Dogmas of every kind put assertion in the place of reason and give rise to more contention, bitterness, and want of charity than any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/dogmas-of-every-kind-put-assertion-in-the-place-of-reason-and-give/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all-2/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“Our religion, with its beliefs, rituals, and dogmas becomes another segment among all the other segments that constitute our linear and fragmented existence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/our-religion-with-its-beliefs-rituals-and-dogmas-becomes-another/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [RELIGION: A set of beliefs held as dogmas, dominating the conduct of life, going beyond or contrary to evidence, and inculcated by methods which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/religion-a-set-of-beliefs-held-as-dogmas-dominating-the-conduct-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [... Tarrasch's 'dogmas' are not eternal truisms, but merely instructional material presented in an accessible and witty form, those necessary rudiments from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/tarrasch-s-dogmas-are-not-eternal-truisms-but-merely-instructional/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [Truths turn into dogmas the instant that they are disputed. Thus every man who utters a doubt defines a religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/truths-turn-into-dogmas-the-instant-that-they-are-disputed-thus-every/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [To elevate abstract doctrines and dogmas over living, breathing, embodied experiences of God's love and grace, then, is going the wrong direction. It's taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/to-elevate-abstract-doctrines-and-dogmas-over-living-breathing/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principles, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarrelling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/on-the-dogmas-of-religion-as-distinguished-from-moral-principles-all/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The man who has successfully solved the problem of his relations with the two worlds of data and symbols is a man who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-man-who-has-successfully-solved-the-problem-of-his-relations-with/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I still think that, in a way, I can't get past half my childhood dogmas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-still-think-that-in-a-way-i-can-t-get-past-half-my-childhood-dogmas/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## More by Robert Anton Wilson > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. 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Those who understand, shine like stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-is-a-great-privilege-to-be-conscious-in-this-universe-those-who/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I will do anything, including highway robbery and murder, to avoid leaving my children in poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-will-do-anything-including-highway-robbery-and-murder-to-avoid/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I see anarchism as the theoretical ideal to which we are all gradually evolving to a point where everybody can tell the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-see-anarchism-as-the-theoretical-ideal-to-which-we-are-all/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“Masturbation is not the happiest form of sexuality, but the most advisable for him who wants to be alone and think. I detect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/masturbation-is-not-the-happiest-form-of-sexuality-but-the-most/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I like pacifists and people who have a heavy emotional identification with deathism and war would probably call me a pacifist, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-like-pacifists-and-people-who-have-a-heavy-emotional-identification/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody as equally corrupt, except themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/cynics-regarded-everybody-as-equally-corrupt-idealists-regarded/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“When you're dealing with these forces or powers in a philosophic and scientific way, contemplating them from an armchair, that rationalistic approach is useful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/when-you-re-dealing-with-these-forces-or-powers-in-a-philosophic-and/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“And Spaceship Earth, that glorious and bloody circus, continued its four-billion-year-long spiral orbit about the Sun; the engineering, I must admit, was so exquisite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/and-spaceship-earth-that-glorious-and-bloody-circus-continued-its/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Existence is larger than any model that is not itself the exact size of existence (which has no size).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/existence-is-larger-than-any-model-that-is-not-itself-the-exact-size/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The totally convinced and the totally stupid have too much in common for the resemblance to be accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-totally-convinced-and-the-totally-stupid-have-too-much-in-common/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) [Explore all 274 Robert Anton Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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