Philosophy of the Beautiful: Art Appreciation Lecture 3

• Philosophy of the Beautiful: On Art Appreciation Lecture 3

Perspectives on Beauty

• Beauty exists within one's perspective.
• It is perfection regarding symmetry and balance.
• Beauty is related to pleasure and happiness.
• Beauty is defined as confidence.
• Plato linked beauty to the sublime identity with good.
• Aristotle viewed beauty as symmetry, proportion, and organic order in a unified whole.
• Humans aspire to perfection and naturally enjoy beautiful things.
• Zulueta described beautiful things as orderly, precise, purposeful, and proportionate, without mistakes, and perfect.

Philosophical Concepts

• Pragmatism emphasizes practicality.
• It is a contemporary doctrine where people subordinate logical thinking to practical living.
• In the man, woman, and LGBT view of beauty, a thing is considered beautiful if it satisfies practical needs in their life.
• Truth is tested through actual experience.
• Existentialism establishes that individuals are free and independent to make decisions.
• Individuals accept responsibility for their decisions and actions in an uncertain world.
• A doctrine is stressed that to have meaning, one's concrete existence should align with personal freedom and responsibilities, making it beautiful.
• Realism is the theory that general ideas or the universal exist independently of the individual mind.
  • A belief in the importance of reality or fact over imagination and theory.
• Things happen beyond human control and have meaning independent of interpretation.
• Events that are beyond control are considered good and result in beauty.
• Idealism is a concept related to the standard of perfection.
• There is an inherent idea of perfection that serves as a measure of what is beautiful.
• Man can reach perfection through striving and giving one's best effort which then makes it beautiful.
• Naturalism refers to a temper of mind or belief in the emperical or scientific method as the only way to reach the truth.
• A thing becomes good and beautiful only if its truth is supported by actual experiences.
• Beauty is found when it conforms to the natural laws of the arts

Various Types of Beauty

• Ideal beauty includes objects, scenes, or people that align with humans' ideas of beauty.
• Real beauty conforms to human expectations or beliefs about something, is acclaimed within one's society, personal culture, and general expectations.
• Natural beauty is found in nature in its original form.
• Artificial beauty is made through endorsing nature.
• Decorative beauty is realized from the physical or material presence of an object.
• Spiritual beauty is discerned from acts or subjects related to religion or spirituality, and also noble and virtuous acts.
• Intellectual beauty is the meaningful impression or ideas beyond the surface.

Appreciating Beauty Through Arts

• Appreciating art involves evaluating pieces and performances by understanding their aesthetic qualities or values.
• Appreciation considers the object's importance and specialness, is an affectionate regard and can include a sense of possession or affiliation.
• Art appreciation begins with observation and concludes with synthesis.
• Art appreciation is concerned with beauty and admiring art or performance because of its beauty.

Explore diverse perspectives on beauty, from symmetry and balance to pleasure and happiness. Delve into Plato and Aristotle's views, alongside Zulueta's emphasis on order and perfection. Examine pragmatism and existentialism's influence, and subjective interpretations based on individual needs and experiences.