philistine
Meaning: A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture, the arts, and intellectual pursuits; someone considered to lack refined taste or aesthetic appreciation.
Philistine (lowercase when used in this sense) is the opposite of 'aesthete' and is always pejorative. It implies not merely ignorance of the arts but an active disregard for or hostility towards them. It is frequently used in arts criticism, cultural commentary, and debates about public spending on the arts. The accusation carries an element of cultural snobbery and is sometimes resisted on those grounds.
Examples
- The council's decision to close the museum was denounced as an act of cultural philistinism. 市议会关闭博物馆的决定被谴责为文化上的庸俗主义行为。La decisión del ayuntamiento de cerrar el museo fue denunciada como un acto de filisteísmo cultural.市議会が博物館を閉鎖する決定は、文化的フィリスティニズムの行為として非難された。시의회가 박물관을 폐쇄하기로 한 결정은 문화적 속물주의의 행위로 비난받았다.
- She called him a philistine for suggesting they skip the gallery and go straight to the pub. 她因为他提议跳过画廊直接去酒吧而称他是个俗人。Lo llamó filisteo por sugerir que se saltasen la galería y fuesen directamente al pub.彼女は、ギャラリーを飛ばしてまっすぐパブに行こうと提案した彼を俗物と呼んだ。그녀는 갤러리를 건너뛰고 곧바로 펍으로 가자고 제안한 그를 속물이라고 불렀다.
- The philistines who slashed the arts budget will answer to history, the theatre director declared. 那位剧院总监宣称:'那些削减艺术预算的庸俗之辈将受到历史的审判。Los filisteos que recortaron el presupuesto de las artes responderán ante la historia, declaró el director del teatro.芸術予算を削減した俗物たちは歴史に対して責任を取ることになるだろう、と劇場監督は宣言した。예술 예산을 삭감한 속물들은 역사 앞에 책임을 져야 할 것이라고 극장 감독은 선언했다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: media, literary, academic
Tone: negative
Origin & History
From the Philistines, the ancient people who were enemies of the Israelites in the Bible. German university students in the 17th century began using 'Philister' to mean a townsperson or outsider lacking in culture. Matthew Arnold popularised the English cultural sense in the 1860s.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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