To say that The Beatles are “the greatest rock band of all time” is quite a distance from objectivity. This is something that could never be empirically “proven;” aesthetics are, by definition, subjective and context-based. While I don’t believe in an entirely relativistic “truth,” I do think that there are some things, art, for example, that cannot be anything other than relativistic.

And, while I think that art’s value will always be a matter of opinion and context, I wonder how one might even arrive at an objective judgement of the question at hand. What criteria would one use to rank an artist’s “greatness?” How would these criteria be decided upon, and how much weight would each variable hold? Is harmonic complexity considered an asset or a hinderance, for example?

Just some thoughts … Sorry to wax on in a comment that is longer than the original post.