"Philippe Debar" <phi### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
news:39534e60@news.povray.org...
>
> "Tom Melly" <tom### [at] tomandluf9couk> wrote in message
> news:3951e983$1@news.povray.org...
> > "Philippe Debar" <phi### [at] hotmailcom> wrote in message
> > news:3951e103@news.povray.org...
> > > What is the value of originality for originality's sake?
> > >
> >
> > When you ask this question, you attack the very foundations of Western
> > Civilisation and software upgrades. Commie.
> >
>
> Very seriously, I am not attacking anything. I am just asking a question.
> And I do not have an answer.
>
> but :-)
>

Sorry if I alarmed you (if I did) - it was meant as a joke (hence ;)).

IMHO originality cannot exist on its own - something cannot just be
"original"; it still generally has an intent beyond that. A good phrase is
"the shock of the new". Originality can force us out of complacency when
viewing art, for example. We cannot so easily bring assumptions and
pre-conceptions to something that is radically different from our previous
experience. Even if the theme is an old one, we are forced to rethink our
attitude to it. I guess that is a tentative thumbs up to originality for its
own sake, but with the proviso that originality is never just for it's own
sake - it is just another technique in the service of an idea.

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