I would like to offer a statement for consideration. It makes several broad assumptions, but may offer (with your help) enough language and logic to "prove" the importance of our discussion here on these forums. The terms defined and concepts described may be helpful to those writing critiques.
A work is a piece of art, literature, game, tool, or other artifact.
A lens is a framework of theory, and is often employed to systematically examine a work. Lenses include but are not limited to academic disciplines such as history, anthropology, materials science, political studies, philosophy, and equality studies (to use the new British English term I learned here). Not all lenses are academic disciplines. Other lenses may be defined as necessary.
Culture (or cultural context) is a collection of values, norms, lenses, works, and shared experiences. Culture is one mechanism through which we are able to evolve and adapt in a short period of time.
Claim 1: The works created in a particular cultural context are related to that cultural context.
A critique is an examination of a work. A critique is also a work. Critiques often employ one or more lenses. The writer of a critique may or may not explicitly name the lenses employed in the critique.
Claim 2: A critique of a work, being itself a work, may tell us more about the culture in which the critique was made and the lenses employed by the creator of the critique than about the object of the critique or the culture in which the object was made.
A review is an immediate critique of a work. Together, the work and the review can tell us a lot about a particular cultural context, as the review was made within the same or similar cultural context as the work.
Claim 3: Our critiques of earlier works, although not flawed, reflect more about our culture today, than about the culture in which the objects were made.
Claim 4: DDN and the reviews of DDN shall together reflect the culture of today. This is not to say that whatever happens, happens. Rather this is to say that DDN shall be judged by how well it fits the needs of today's culture.
Claim 5: By sharing our well-considered critiques here, we provide WoC information that may used to increase the likelihood that the work, DDN, is positively reviewed. Additionally, by doing so, we increase the likelihood that DDN will be successful.
Mark
