Philosophy of Beauty and Heredity

Study Notes

Humans perceive beauty through the senses, especially sight
Francis Hutcheson argued that the sense of beauty is internal, not solely based on external appearance
St. Augustine believed that something is beautiful because it is inherently beautiful, not because it gives delight.
Plato saw beauty as a response to love and desire.
Aristotle believed symmetry, order, and definiteness were essential elements of beauty.
David Hume argued that beauty is subjective and exists only in the mind of the observer.
Immanuel Kant believed that the judgement of beauty is not based on logic but rather an aesthetic experience.
Gregor Mendel discovered that genes are inherited in pairs, one from each parent.
Heredity is the passing of traits from parents to offspring.

Tahiti promotes a ritual of fattening where individuals are covered in tapa barkcloth to enhance their beauty. This ritual aims to create a lighter skin tone.
Nigeria views fatness as a sign of prosperity, fertility, and beauty.
Philippines places a high value on skin color, with whiteness often considered a symbol of beauty and social status.

Halo Effect: This cognitive bias suggests that attractive individuals are often perceived more favorably in terms of personality traits and characteristics.
Research shows that attractive people tend to earn more than those considered less attractive.

Xander Ford's transformation through surgery reflects the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards in the Philippines.
Lookism refers to a culture that prioritizes physical attractiveness and associates it with happiness and success.

Individuals with BDD are preoccupied with a perceived physical flaw, even if it is trivial or non-existent to others.
This preoccupation can cause significant distress and impair daily life.