Quality a tricky word. Everyone has strong opinions about it.
There are two meanings of the word; One which I leave by this paragraph; what type of fabric something is made of, what sort of material something is, usually one in a range of different choices.
The other, the fundamental; What is Good? What constitutes The Best? How does The Best differ from The Inferior?
FUNCTION • KNOWLEDGE • AESTHETICS • PUBLIC OPINION • TRADITIONS • TASTE
These are the different facets of the concept I will hover around and above.
For someone just floating around in the contemperary, quality might mean what is in one’s own eye. The beholder’s. A popular belife. The one you choose if you don’t want to get into trouble. But quality entails choice.
I will argue that Quality can be explained although complex elusive but also quite manageable if you twist and turn the matter.
To start with the subjective. Not everyone has high standards. Many don’t give a fuck about anything, so there is a wide range of sofistication you could be satisfied with. There are all levels of contentments of how one could live one’s life. Also. In the dread there can be light. You can see qualities at different levels depending on the misery and your bows aim. People have choices and certanly different perspectives. But shure inough knowledge enriches your possibilities to tackle the challanges of life.
Turning to the more delicate issue, what is the best?
Function is basic. We use tools. A shelter a tool. We certanly enjoy shelter. It shreds pain from the howls of the winds, make us confortable all around the fire. A good or a bad house.
I once met a confident young man in his late twenties at one of these parties where everyone was in ease where spirit was lightly flowing. He was in his last step of the few last to be choosen among many to be a bulk tobacco purchaser for the tobacco company in Sweden. They had passed many tests of differing and describing many more than dozens of smells and he was one of the three remaining, I realized by his confidence that he was to be choosened for his nose and his ability to describe what he was experiencing. Not every one gets that job.
Adding to function is aestethics. Aestitics is actual real function of it’s own. By many not understood.
Aesthetics is a bundle of exquisite, carefully selected forms of expressions balancing many aspect combined into a by the senses felt, comprehended whole. A vivid impression wether it is image or music or sensations felt through out the body.
Quality the apex of function and aestetics.
To be continued..