A.O. Scott has been a film critic for the New York Times for more than 15 years, so it may seem strange that he’s now questioning the value of his work. In a new book, he asks what the point of criticism actually is. Scott argues that critical thinking informs almost every aspect of artistic creation, of civil action, and of our interactions with each other. In that way, he says, we’re all critics. Scott joins us Wednesday for a discussion about art, pleasure, beauty, truth, and of course criticism.
A.O. Scott is a chief film critic for the New York Times. He also writes often for the Times Magazine and the newspaper’s book review. He has contributed works of critical journalism for Newsday, Slate, The New York Review of Books, and many other publications. His new book is called Better Living Through Criticism: How to Think About Art, Pleasure, Beauty and Truth [Amazon|Indiebound].