The Philosophy of Beauty

The Philosophy of Beauty

The term “beauty” is most commonly used to define a certain aesthetic quality in objects that make those objects pleasurable to see. These objects include sunsets, nature, human creations and artistic works. Beauty, along with beauty and art, is perhaps the most important theme of aesthetics, among the various branches of contemporary philosophy. It is argued that humans have a desire to find meaning and a connection in everything that they face and contemplate.

Historically speaking, beauty has been defined by different cultures and societies. According to one Eastern philosophy, beauty is a mental state achieved through the individual experience of emotions. In contrast, Western aesthetics believes that beauty is a realistic state achieved through the ability to distinguish between what is real and what is ideal. With respect to Eastern philosophy, beauty is defined as the “path of least resistance” where everything that one perceives as beautiful is inherently desirable. On the other hand, Western aesthetics suggests that beauty exists primarily within the individual and is based on an idea of value-based judgments that are the products of the human mind.

Beauty in reality is a subjective state, which means that only one person can feel beautiful. However, there are many commonalities among humans when it comes to the aspects of beauty. Humans desire beauty in things such as food, music, language, books, jewelry and computer screens. In most cases, beauty is not consciously controlled by anyone; however, each individual is capable of exerting some control over the way he or she feels about beauty, through the process of choosing to look at, touch or wear something. Individuals who choose to look at things that others would deem ugly will feel ugly themselves and will try to make others feel ugly by telling them that they are looking at or touching something unattractive.