S04 E19: Fallen Leaves: Will Durant's Unvarnished Views On Art and Beauty

S04 E19: Fallen Leaves: Will Durant's Unvarnished Views On Art and Beauty

In this Season 04, Episode 19 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book, we crack open Will Durant's 'Fallen Leaves' to confront his candid, and self-admittedly prejudiced, take on art. Get ready to explore Durant's confession of being an 'outsider from art' and his suspicion of contemporary forms, which he provocatively labels 'flaming nonsense'. This episode dissects his fascinating exploration into the needs and impulses that drive artists and his struggle to objectively define beauty, from Aristotle's classical ideals of symmetry and proportion to its surprising biological origins linked to sexual desire and the features of woman.

Listeners will gain insight into Durant's most distressing critique of contemporary art's 'revolt against beauty' and its embrace of formlessness, which he attributes partly to the Industrial Revolution and a 'Rousseauian revolt' against reason. Despite his concessions to the necessity of change and experiment, Durant laments the 'riot of innovation for its own sake', arguing that the essence of art, like beauty, lies not in content or elements but in structure and form. We'll also touch upon his surprising admiration for skyscrapers as 'science graduating into art' and his belief that 'art without science is poverty, and science without art is barbarism'. Join us as we unpack Durant's sharp, often controversial, but always insightful reflections on the ever-evolving world

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How America Rose — and Fell — Before WWII | S09 E22

How America Rose — and Fell — Before WWII | S09 E22

Explore how the U.S. rose from Civil War ruins to global power, then fell into the Great Depression. Discover key shifts in S09 E22 of CSS Breakdown.How did the United States rise from Civil War ashes...

7 Aug 202530min

Asia’s Communist Legacy | Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos – Norman Lowe S09 E21

Asia’s Communist Legacy | Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos – Norman Lowe S09 E21

How did communism shape the modern history of Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos? 🌏In Season 9, Episode 21 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book, we explore Norman Lowe’s “Mastering Modern World History (Fi...

4 Aug 202525min

S09 E20: China Under Communism | Mao’s Experiments, Deng’s Reforms & Tiananmen

S09 E20: China Under Communism | Mao’s Experiments, Deng’s Reforms & Tiananmen

How did China evolve from Mao’s radical communism to Deng Xiaoping’s market reforms—and what led to the shocking Tiananmen Square crackdown? 🇨🇳In Season 9, Episode 20 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book,...

2 Aug 202534min

S09 E19 -China’s Road to Revolution | From Warlords to Mao’s Victory (1900–1949)

S09 E19 -China’s Road to Revolution | From Warlords to Mao’s Victory (1900–1949)

How did China transform from a crumbling empire into a communist state under Mao Zedong? 🌏In Season 9, Episode 19 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book, we explore Chapter 19 of Norman Lowe’s Mastering Mode...

2 Aug 202523min

S09 E18: Russia’s Transformation | From Stalin’s Shadow to Putin’s Power – Norman Lowe

S09 E18: Russia’s Transformation | From Stalin’s Shadow to Putin’s Power – Norman Lowe

How did the Soviet Union evolve from Stalin’s iron-fisted rule to Putin’s era of “managed democracy”? In Season 9, Episode 18 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book, we explore Chapter 18 of Norman Lowe’s Mas...

2 Aug 202530min

S09 E17: Stalin’s Iron Fist | Power, Purges & The Soviet Experiment – Norman Lowe

S09 E17: Stalin’s Iron Fist | Power, Purges & The Soviet Experiment – Norman Lowe

How did Joseph Stalin transform the Soviet Union into a global power at a devastating human cost? In Season 9, Episode 17 of CSS Breakdown: Book by Book, we explore Chapter 17 of Norman Lowe’s Masteri...

2 Aug 202534min

S09 E16: Russia’s Revolutions | From Tsarist Empire to Bolshevik Rule – Norman Lowe

S09 E16: Russia’s Revolutions | From Tsarist Empire to Bolshevik Rule – Norman Lowe

How did the Russian Empire fall and give rise to the world’s first communist state? In Season 9, Episode 16 of *CSS Breakdown: Book by Book*, we dive into Chapter 16 of Norman Lowe’s *Mastering Modern...

2 Aug 202525min

S09 E15: Japan & Spain’s Road to Authoritarianism | Norman Lowe’s Modern World History

S09 E15: Japan & Spain’s Road to Authoritarianism | Norman Lowe’s Modern World History

Step into the turbulent world of early 20th-century history as Japan and Spain navigate political upheaval, economic crises, and the rise of authoritarian rule. In Season 9, Episode 15 of *CSS Breakdo...

2 Aug 202529min

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