Beauty is a concept that pleases the aesthetic senses. It is a positive aesthetic value, and it pleases the eyes, the heart, and the intellect. Some philosophers think that beauty is only objective, while others think that it is subjective.
The first philosophical tradition sought to define and quantify beauty. Some of the early thinkers, such as Aristotle and Plato, disagreed with each other about the nature of beauty. For example, Aristotle believed that beauty consists of proportional relation of parts to each other. In contrast, Plato thought that beauty is a unity of qualities. He also rejected the notion that beauty could be measured in mathematical ratios.
The eighteenth century saw the development of a philosophy of beauty that was more subjective. David Hume and Kant’s treatments of beauty stressed the importance of subjectivity. They argued that an individual’s sentiment was important, and that taste should not be tyrannical.
In the twentieth century, thinkers were uncertain about how to reconcile beauty with the era of wars, wastelands, and genocide. They were concerned about the abuse of beauty and its potential for distraction. These ideas were reflected in the writing of Arthur Danto. His book The Abuse of Beauty, published in 1992, argues that beauty was abused because it was seen as an object of pleasure rather than an expression of the will.
A truly beautiful piece of art teaches us knowledge of God. This is because it possesses certain characteristics, such as symmetry and proportion, which provide the viewer with an objective and perceptual experience of beauty. However, these features are not a prerequisite to knowing whether an artwork is beautiful.
Modern art in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries became a focus of sabotage. The Dadaists planted urinals in art shows, and the Surrealists tore up traditional poetic forms. Although some controversies are valid, they can sometimes be convincing.
One of the most heated debates in literature is the question of whether beauty is objective. The question of beauty isn’t actually a genuine one. Most people who experience beauty do not judge it. Instead, they experience it in a way that connects the object of their attention with other communities of appreciation. Such connections are important for beauty because it gives the object a meaning.
In the 18th century, the debate over the nature of beauty reached a critical stage. It began with the rise of a new culture of feeling, and the confidence of the post-Enlightenment era that humans have the capacity to understand beauty. Ancient treatments of beauty often pay tribute to the pleasures of beauty in ecstatic terms. Plotinus, for example, wrote about wonderment and delicious trouble.
The nineteenth century also witnessed the development of a new attitude towards inalienable rights. Unlike the eighteenth-century emphasis on pleasure, the new attitudes towards beauty were characterized by a suspicion of pacifiers. Many philosophers, such as John Locke and Edmund Burke, argued that color and beauty are subjective, and depend on the perceptive mind.