What Is Beauty?

Beauty is often defined as a subjective quality of objects which makes these objects appealing to perceive. These objects may include sunsets, beautiful people, nature and works of art. Beauty, along with beauty, is perhaps the most significant part of aesthetics, among the various branches of psychology.

Beauty has been the subject of numerous debates among philosophers over the course of time. Some theories have attempted to define beauty through physical criteria, while others have attempted to define beauty on the basis of culture, class, and nationality. In addition, some theories attempt to define beauty on the basis of a person’s innate characteristics and personality. Still other theories rely on the influence of culture and the history of beauty standards that have existed throughout the history of mankind.

The theories that attempt to define art generally fall into two general categories. One category consists of those theories that base beauty on physical criteria such as color, shape and size. Examples of these theories include universal aesthetic principles such as beauty being an extension of human beauty, being a subset of truth. Others include the ideas that beauty exists in the mind of the beholder. For example, a work of art that someone admires does not necessarily possess a concrete nature or even an overall physical structure. It only has the essential characteristic of beauty, that is, it satisfies the basic and essential qualities of beauty.

On the other hand, some theories argue that beauty exists independent of the person who admires it. Rather, the essence of beauty lies in the aesthetic experience of the beholder. According to this theory, a thing that one cannot see with the eyes of the beholder is also not necessarily a thing of beauty for the beholder. Similarly, certain objects may be aesthetically pleasing to one but not necessarily so to another, while certain objects may be ugly or irritating to another.

Other theories argue that beauty is determined by the way beauty is seen. When beauty is seen in its totality, a person can say that something is beautiful because it perfectly matches the person’s vision of beauty. For instance, if you look at an apple, you will immediately know that it is beautiful because it is perfectly round and not broken or torn. When beauty is perceived as missing elements, then a particular item is deemed not to be beautiful. Therefore, if a picture is ugly but you consider it to be attractive, it is because you see the rest of the picture and you think the missing parts are ugly rather than the beauty of the whole image. The theories of beauty that the beholder experiences may vary from person to person.

Still, some people say that beauty is defined according to the ability of a thing to generate desire. Some say that true beauty comes from within and others say that true beauty comes from outside. They say that true beauty is a gift that is given by God to every man. Some believe that the true beauty is the result of God’s love while others say that beauty is the result of a combination of physical attributes and psychological temperament. No matter what your belief is, most people agree that beauty truly lies in the beholder.