Beauty – Philosophy

Beauty is often defined as the emotional feeling that one experiences when gazing at some object. Beauty is most commonly defined as the aesthetic quality of certain objects that makes such objects aesthetically pleasurable to view. These objects can be nature, humans, landscapes and works of art. Beauty, along with other personal aesthetic criteria, is the primary topic of interior design, another of the major branches of fine art.

The definition of beauty is a controversial one. According to some, beauty is a subjective quality that can only be established through the eyes of an unbiased third party. Others subscribe to a form of aesthetic idealism which postulates that beauty is inherent in and independent of human opinion. According to this school of thought, beauty is a criterion for determining what makes something beautiful. Modern aesthetics thus provides a unique set of values by which to judge and value the beauty in objects.

The philosophy of beauty developed in the ancient Greek and Roman societies as a result of changes brought about by urbanization, cultural change and political instability. Philosophy of beauty arose from the physical processes of urbanization, which saw a rapid expansion of cities and population movement across the land-mass of the Mediterranean basin. Art and literature grew alongside these processes, and the cultural experiences of men on the peripheries of the Greek and Roman societies were also woven into the very fabric of their daily lives. As more men across the globe moved into cities to seek opportunities and pursue a livelihood, the social practices they observed and the philosophies they held and practiced changed as well. Philosophy of beauty thus offered a unique insight into the changing cultural norms of the time.

Through the lenses of philosophy of beauty, we can better understand how changing cultural norms and social media influence the definition of beauty. Modern aesthetics has been shaped by the influence of this change in the development of beauty. This article will therefore focus on two main areas of contemporary aesthetics: the aesthetic experience and the process of beauty creation. In order to understand these two areas of aesthetic composition, it is important to have an idea of beauty, what beauty is and what criteria beauty standards. We will look at these two areas through the lenses of aesthetics.

Aesthetics can be seen as the philosophical study of beauty as it relates to art, literature, dance, cosmology and technology. For the purposes of this article, we will limit our discussions to the later area of modern aesthetics. In this philosophical study, aesthetics attempts to answer the question: what is beautiful?

Beauty has been viewed by different cultures differently. For instance, Asian philosophy focuses on the need for aesthetic value, beauty standards and the quest for the most beautiful being. By contrast, Western aesthetic value is grounded in religion, science, technology and culture. The belief that beauty is a product of a natural process, nature and the will of God and that the aesthetic is subjective to the personal perspective of the person viewing it independent of all others’ beliefs and pre-conceptions is prevalent in many cultures.