I know I am not alone today in my sorrow upon learning of the death of Denis Dutton, philosopher, author, and founder and editor of Arts & Letters Daily, perhaps the most literate site on the web. Arts & Letters culls the best and most iconoclastic literary, political, and philosophical articles from all over, and is always surprising, even to those of us who read it daily. I have always felt Arts & Letters almost unique in having no discernible political bias. The obituary in the Los Angeles Times’ blog gives no cause of death, but it does provide a typical quote from a Dutton review of The Return of the Ring: “ Toward the end, I found myself desperately cheering on the giant spider in hope of getting home early. Eat Frodo! Eat him!” Dutton was 66.
That's sad. I think I've read more interesting articles from a left-wing perspective via his site than I'd ever have encountered otherwise. Great conservative articles as well, but the balanced way he handled his aggregation sort of made reading lefties more bearable somehow. He was sort of the Brian Lamb of the internet in a way.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI have heard of Denis Dutton’s death with great sorrow.
I came to know Professor Dutton after the publication of his last book, The Art Instinct, and had a deep, extensive and wonderful debate with him about the core fundamental assumption about the art: what is art; what is an art-action; in our evolution, what was the effect of art; the connection between the art-action and self-recognition; the art-action and the recognition of the other; the art-action and the discovery of space and spirits; the effect of the art-action on the power distribution in the social group; the early universal co--option of art and its exclusive control by authority in all societies; the politics of the art-action, and more.
I am so very sorry for the passing of Denis.
Even as we disagreed critically about central core concepts and facts about art, He brought the best in my creative thoughts and I recognize his critical mid-wifely influence on the development of my thoughts about art & the anthropology of art. I will miss him sorely and deeply.
J. George Holmes.
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