The second is simply where art students are playing with technique. It’s no different than engineers trying new techniques. For example, an electrical engineer who designs a new type of coupling for a regenerative receiver is not breaking new ground in performance. It’s a new technique, but one that only engineers can appreciate. Lots of art is like that too.

That said, it’s much easier to fool the public by calling stuff “art” than it is to do the same with engineering. The former merely needs a good sales job to prove that it is art and not nonsense. The latter either does what it claims or it doesn’t.

Now you know why so many idiots gravitate toward the arts and social studies. It’s easy to BS a random person who doesn’t know you. Refuting the claims is not nearly as easy as refuting the claims of an engineer. They have the laws of physics to contend with.

And the BS factor even extends across decades. Witness the Snow Job that Freud perpetrated against the study of psychology. His work has been almost entirely debunked (but for a few whacko cling-ons). Yet: when someone does good work it canlast for centuries. Does anyone claim that the Mona Lisa is garbage? Does anyone think that William Shakespeare’s plays were third rate?

Don’t judge the arts by the incompetence of the many. There are good artists out there. Unfortunately for every one of them, there are at least 10 more who pretend. Likewise, I’ve had the good fortune of working for a very creative and capable boss. He knew how to lead and manage smart people. I’ve never seen his like since. There are good bosses out there. Unfortunately, it’s also true that he never attended business school. You see, this isn’t something you can teach. It’s something that you pursue.

And therein lies the rub. You can’t learn art in school. You can only learn about it. That’s why you see so many idiots in liberal arts schools.