What is Beauty?

Posted by our Chronicler, Jaron B.

Is it something we observe, hear, smell, experience or are we emotionally attached to something of beauty?

 

 

 

 

To a sports fan, the football player made a beautiful tackle.  The elegance of the ballerina is beautiful because of the grace of her dance.  The Olympic gymnast is beautiful because of the poise in her routine.  Blessed Mother Teresa is beautiful because of what she has done for the lepers and sick people she comforted.

 

What do these four examples have in common?  They are all beautiful but the way we observe beauty is different.  How?  The three above Blessed Mother Teresa are all observable.  Now if you look at Blessed Mother Teresa, do you think she is beautiful?  Most will say no but there has to be something beautiful about her.  Is it the way she is dressed, sees things or her works?  Most will say that what she has done in her lifetime is beautiful.

 

Some other thoughts that we had of what beauty is were:

-Truth            -Observable              -Colours

-Goodness      -Smell                      -Patterns

-Time             -Work                      -Emotional response

-Grace            -Nature                    -Experience

-Hear              -Art

 

                

We looked at two different philosophers:

Socrates

•      Philosopher from Ancient Greece  469-399 BC

•      Considered founder of Western philosophy

•      He never wrote anything down!  His student Plato wrote for him.

•      He questioned everything and thought that the best way to learn was through asking questions

•      He was arrested, tried and put to death for corrupting youth- all he wanted to do was make them think!

•      He thought humans are born with rational thought including an innate sense of beauty is.

 

 

 

David Hume

•      Scottish Philosopher who lived from 1711-1776

•      He was skeptical of many classical ideas

•      He thought that desire rather than reason governed human behaviour.

•      He thought everything was learned through experience

•      He felt beauty was relative and based on individual taste

In summary:

Socrates thought humans are born with rational thought including an innate sense of beauty

David Hume thought everything was learned through experience and that feeling beauty was relative and based on individual taste.

The big question of the day was "If it is not beautiful, can it be art?"

Yes!  Most of us agreed that it can still be art if it is not beautiful because everybody perceives beauty differently.

 

Psalm 139:14

 

I praise you , for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;  my soul know it very well.