Art increases the sense of our common humanity. The imagination of the artist is, therefore, a profoundly moral imagination: the easier it is for you to imagine walking in someone else’s shoes, the more di fficult it then becomes to do that person harm. If you want to make a torturer, fi rst kill his imagination. If you want to create a nation that will stand by and allow torture to be practiced in its name, then go ahead and kill its imagination, too. You could start by cutting school funding for art, music, creative writing and the performing arts.
— From Michael Chabon‘s introduction (PDF) to Barack Obama‘s arts policy statement (PDF). Apologies to those for whom this is old news. It’s only just now hit my radar. (via)
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