On Value
We think and talk about value of objects, from beauty to goodness. We gather objects and assign values to them, creating a system of value. However, there is no absolute system of value. Therefore, we can freely create new one, by assinging arbitrary value to each object. But assigning value itself doesn't always garauntee that it has an actual meaning.
Suppose there is only one product. We can assign 1$ to it or 10$ to it. But what's the difference? All we can do with 1$ or 10$ is to buy or sell one product, and its price remains as a mere representation of the number of products.
This is same in art. Suppose there is only one artwork. What does it mean to say that it is 5 out of 10, without defining 10? If it comes to making a list, the problem becmes even more obvious. If there is only one artwork, the statement that it is the best artwork or that it is the worst artwork would be logical tautology, not a meaningful argument.
The problem does not only happen in the case of one object. We can combine systems of value simply by using conjuctions. Suppose there are one product and one artwork. We can assign 1$ to the product and 5 out of 10 to the artwork. Although we assigned values to multiple objects, the values still remain meaningless.
At this point, you might have notice that constructing system of value is not sufficient with assigning values to objects. In fact, that is not even essential. What actually matters is the relationships among the objects. Then, the assignment of value would naturally follow, depending on what method we are going to use.
Let's look at some examples. We will consider use value and exchange value of products, borrowing the Aristotelian view. Use value only arise from the relationship between the product and the user. And exchange value is a bit complicated: some arise from the relationship among the use values and some arise from the relationship among the exchange values. The concept of price also arise from the relationship among the products, but using the method different from that of exchange value. The concept of price is merely an alternative expression of exchange value. (In fact, captialism expelled humanity from its system of value by replacing use value with products and elevating the concept of price from a mere alternative experssion of exchange value to the canonical system of value of products. However, that is not the focus of this essay and I will probably address it in another essay.)
In art, the score of the artwork is determined by the relationship between the artwork and the reviewer. The rank of the artwork in a list is determined by the relationship among the relationships between the artworks and the reviewer. If we are trying to be objective and trace the influence of each artwork on the others, the rank of the artwork in a list will be determined by the relationship among the artworks.
When we produce products, we don't assign value to them first, but we make them work and able to form relationships with their potential users, then evaluate their prices. Certain types of currencies, including money, is exceptial because exchange value can arise from the relationship among exchange values themselves, and the exchange value of money, in fact, is determined by the relationship among the exchange values directly.
Also, when we draw paintings, we don't assign value to them first, but we use canvas and pigments to complete them and make them able to form relationships with their potential reviewers, then reviewers evaluate their scores.
To conclude, to assign value to an object is to create a relationship among the objects. This view will be applied to all my creations and evaluations of artworks, especially to the writing of literary works.