Cognitive Engineering

If you’re a fan of JK Rowling, Jack Vettriano or Manchester United you’re probably not surprised by the denigration they receive from critics. There is a whole host of cultural artefacts that seem to be universally popular yet despised by critics. Is it just gatekeeping or do the critics have a point? In this week’s podcast, we discuss criticism. We speak about the role of the critic, James Wood, Matthew Arnold, Richard Feynman, status-seeking, thrifting, gatekeepers and wargaming. Finally, we share examples of art and media where we are undecided on whether it is good or bad. A few things we mentioned in this podcast: - Upset by Einaudi? https://interlude.hk/upset-by-einaudi/ - Twilight vampires? Bah! Fangs ain't what they used to be… https://www.theguardian.com/global/booksblog/2009/jan/08/twilight-vampire - The Premium Mediocre Life of Maya Millennial https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/08/17/the-premium-mediocre-life-of-maya-millennial/ - Unpopular Opinions https://xkcd.com/2184/ - Geeks, MOPs, and soc