"Critical" redirects here. For the threshold mass of a fissile material, see
Critical mass.
- See also review.
The word critic comes from the Greek κριτικός, kritikós - one who
discerns, which itself arises from the Ancient Greek word κριτής, krités,
meaning a person who offers reasoned judgement or analysis, value
judgement, interpretation, or observation. The term can be used to describe an adherent of a position disagreeing with or
opposing the object of criticism.
Modern critics include professionals or amateurs who regularly judge or interpret performances or other works (such as that of artists, scientists, musicians or actors) and,
typically, publish their observations, often in periodicals. Critics are numerous in certain fields, including art critics,
music critics, film critics, theatre or drama, restaurant and
scientific publication critics.
Criticism in general terms means democratic judgement over the suitability of a subject for the intended purposes, as opposed to the authoritarian command, which is meant as an
absolute realization of the authority's will, thus not open for debate.
Criticism is the activity of judgement or informed interpretation. In literary and academic contexts, the term most frequently
refers to literary criticism, art criticism,
or other such fields, and to scholars' attempts to understand the aesthetic object in depth. In these contexts the term "critic",
used without qualification, most frequently refers to a scholar of literature or another art form. In other contexts, the term
describes hostility or disagreement with the object of criticism. Sometimes context, and the contentiousness of the subject, are
the only differentiating factors between these two approaches. In politics, for instance (as in the phrase "criticism of
U.S. foreign policy"), criticism almost exclusively refers
to disagreement - while in an academic, artistic, or literary context (as in "criticism of Romantic poetry") it usually refers to the activity of subtle interpretation or analysis.
Criticism can also be a tool of an anti-social behavior, such as a passive-aggressive attack.
Constructive criticism is a form of communication in which a person tries to correct the behavior of another in a
non-authoritarian way, and is generally, a diplomatic approach about what another person is doing socially incorrect. It
is 'constructive' as opposed to a command or an insult and is meant as a peaceful and benevolent approach. Participatory
learning in pedagogy is based on these principles of
constructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is the process of offering valid and well-reasoned opinions about the work of others with the intention
of helping the reader or the artist, rather than creating an oppositional attitude. An art critic can also be a champion of a new
artistic movement in the face of a hostile public (e.g. John Ruskin), using scholarship and
insight to show the value and depth of a new style. Critics might even champion a wholly new art medium; for instance the
century-long critical struggle to have photography recognised as a valid art
form.
There can be a tension between constructive and useful criticism; for instance, a critic might usefully help an individual
artist to recognise what is poor or slapdash in their body of work - but the critic may have to appear harsh and judgemental in
order to achieve this.
Criticism: An evaluation, both good and bad, based on prior knowledge.
Critique
Critique, especially in philosophical contexts (where it is used to translate the
German word Kritik), has a more clearly defined meaning than criticism.
(Confusingly, the adjectival form of both critique and criticism is
critical, making some uses ambiguous, e.g. "critical theory"). In this broadly
political context, a critique is a systematic inquiry into the conditions and consequences of a concept or set of concepts, and an attempt to understand its limitations. A critical perspective, in this
sense, is the opposite of a dogmatic one. In philosophy this sense of the word was defined
by Immanuel Kant, who wrote:
- We deal with a concept dogmatically…if we consider it as contained under another concept of the object which constitutes a
principle of reason and determine it in conformity with this. But we deal with it merely critically if we consider it only in
reference to our cognitive faculties and consequently to the subjective conditions of thinking it, without undertaking to decide
anything about its object. (Critique of Judgment sec. 74)
Later thinkers used the word critique, in a broader version of Kant's sense of the word, to mean the systematic inquiry
into the limits of a doctrine or set of concepts (for instance, much of Karl Marx's work was in the critique of political
economy).
The cultural studies approach to criticism arises out of critical theory. It treats
cultural products and their reception as sociological evidence, which may be sceptically examined to divine wider social ills
such as racism or gender bias.
See also
External links
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