Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw

Albert , Sidney

. Bernard Shaw : The Artist as Philosopher ' The Journal of

Aesthetics and Art Criticism , 14 :4 (1956 , 419-438

In Bernard Shaw : The Artist as Philosopher ' Sidney Albert 's main point is as follows : that Shaw consciously and proudly donned the mantle of the philosophical poet , singing to philosophers and about philosophers from his dramatic scores (419 . This is primarily supported through his analysis of the character of Don Juan , who speaks on everything from life and love to , of course , local politics . A major part of the debate for

Albert involves how much Shaw has to sacrifice some of the philosophy for art - after all , the man is writing a play and not a philosophical screed , so some things must be sacrificed for others to flourish

Ultimately , Albert concludes that as artist , Shaw set out to illustrate and demonstrate in his dramas both the frailty of men and the failings of society which impede human development ' and that he went on to suggest to us that we have great potentialities , and a pressing need , for improvement (437 . In this sense , the art versus philosophy ' debate takes on a meta-textual dimension , as the image of Shaw as imperfect philosopher represents the idea that his philosophy needs to be perfected , as does the men for whom the philosophy is intended . In this sense , Albert 's conclusion renders the debate mostly moot - it is not a matter of art contending philosophy , but art serving as a medium for philosophy . It is...