The cultural environment is in need of permanent criticism, keeping pace with the scene, and working to correct errors and avoid them later, but it happens that criticism deviates from its function; To become a burden on the culture and the intellectual, when its judgments lack “accuracy” and “credibility.” What are the reasons that make the critic a burden?
The cultural movement calls for continuous approaches, which the critic practices regularly. Through it, he reveals defects and warns of them, or reveals and reinforces the advantages, and in both cases he will fall under pressure, demanding “speed of achievement and discovery”, then the real problem of criticism will appear.
Criticism does not grow in a vacuum, nor does it appear out of nowhere, but rather through observation, meditation, and conscious and repeated reading of the scene, leading to the discovery of its defects and advantages, in a process that takes place very slowly. Where speed is fatal to any critical judgment issued; It will become a judgment that lacks accuracy and credibility.
A mistake made by critics, when they neglect the virtue of slowness, and are satisfied with an emotional talk, and an emotional approach, the pillar of which is personal taste and psychological inclination, which will make their judgments subject to accountability, and perhaps rejection.
Accelerated cultural changes mean “burning” stages that should have taken place slowly. In order for ideas to take root, and standards to be established, to saturate the environment with them, in a process that may extend for years, and some of them are not enough for a full life; As is the event of the completion of the pre-Islamic poem, which was realized in the Abbasid era, or the event of the completion of the Abbasid poem, whose techniques were realized, and its elevation in the subsequent era, which can also be seen in the poem of the Mamluk and Ottoman eras; Where its decline was discovered with the advent of the Renaissance.
Quick and hasty judgments are an unforgivable mistake, as critics think that their favor adds to the cultural scene, while it is one of the reasons for its delay, and the remedy for this problem. It is represented in their periodic re-evaluation of their writings, and even changing their opinions if necessary, as (Taha Hussein) did. The dean of Arabic literature, when he retracted some of the ideas of his book (On Pre-Islamic Poetry), and proceeded to amend them.
The cultural scene is teeming with events and publications, and there are many issues raised, and the critic is required to approach them, or part of them. If he abandons his role, and refrains from expressing his opinion; He will fall into the sin of “critical laziness,” which will lead to the death of criticism, as he will lack the “accuracy and credibility” required in the approach.
Critical laziness means stopping chasing the new, staying away from movement, and being content with the drawn mental image. Thus, the critic freezes at a certain point, does not go beyond it, and his judgments become inconsistent with its time, which happened in more than one era; As between Al-Buhturi and Abi Tammam, or between Al-Mutanabbi and his opponents, or between Ahmed Shawqi and Al-Aqqad.
“haste” and “laziness”; Two killers for any monetary project, as haste leads to error in issuing judgments, which loses accuracy and credibility, while laziness, on the contrary; it keeps the scene at a standstill; As a result of his preoccupation with writings and previous events.
The solution is to balance them, so speed in performance replaces haste in issuing judgments, and regular follow-up of the scene replaces critical laziness, and thus critical judgments will be more accurate and more credible.
