Kappa: You use a complicated process to turn fresh tomatoes into
canned ones.
Alpha: Ah, that’s new. It also was said already in the ve-e-ery beginning.
Kappa: Oh, yes, I remember now.
There Is Another Discrepancy!
Beta: Hurray! I got it!
Gamma: Hey, Beta, are you OK?
Beta: I’m telling you, I got it!
Gamma: What?
Beta: You thank me first! You and Kappa! No, Kappa first!
Kappa: Thank you, Beta. Now tell us what you got.
Beta: All right. Kappa, this is for you. Part of a work of art is always
equal to or greater than the entire work! In the physical world,
however, a part is always less than its whole!
Teacher: Well, we saw that a “part” of a cultural phenomenon can be of
the same value as its whole. Yes, now after we have talked about it,
this becomes quite clear. But how could it be greater?
Beta: It could, when an artwork is not quite perfect. This happens all
the time. You watch a movie and it is “OK” while some scenes or
characters or even large fragments of it are perfect. Those “parts”
are greater than the entire thing then. That’s it, that simple!
Kappa: Wow.
Gamma: How about me? Should I still thank you?
Beta: Go ahead.
Gamma: Thank you, Beta, so, so, so much!
Beta: You, Gamma, are very, very, very welcome!
Alpha: Come on, guys! Aren’t you tired yet?
Beta: Yeah, kind of. OK. It is about your thing, Gamma. Although it is
still not that clear. I believe that we are on the brink of something
important about cultural phenomena. It is all about human
communication. A book speaks to you; a song speaks to you; the
simplest sketch speaks to you. A part of a piece of art speaks to you
as much as the entire work, right?
Alpha: This is Kappa’s thing.
Beta: Right, but that is also the exact reason why we are not easily
