Beauty
Beauty is often described as the aesthetic quality of certain objects, which makes these objects enjoyable to perceive. Such objects may include sunsets, landscapes, humans, and creative works of art. Beauty, along with art and beauty, is the most important theme of aesthetics, among the various branches of natural philosophy.
It is often used to explain how we come to appreciate the beauty in objects. In aesthetics, beauty is studied as an abstract idea, and it is usually associated with aesthetic value, the evaluation of beauty in art, and the quest for aesthetic pleasure.
Subjective and Objective
We can divide aesthetic experience into two broad areas: subjective and objective. Subjective beauty is what you see yourself as being, while objective beauty is what someone else may see you as being. These are different concepts; however, there is a connection between them that may be surprising to some.
When we say that beauty exists in the mind of the beholder, we mean that what you see when looking at a particular object, or person, will affect your own feelings about that object.
This applies in general to all concepts in philosophy, including aesthetic theory. Beauty theories have been in existence since the advent of science; however, they gained prominence in the humanities in the late twentieth century.
Beauty has many dimensions, according to several theories. According to some, beauty is primarily an objective quality. The theories of aesthetic value hold that beauty exists independently of human sentiment and culture, and that beauty exists independent of knowledge.
Others maintain that beauty arises from social factors such as language, power, and money that affect an object’s value to a particular people or society. The theories of beauty also consider the different dimensions of beauty: emotional, physical, intellectual, and social.
In general, the aestheticians believe that beauty exists in the mind of the beholder, and not necessarily in the form of external beauty. Some of these theories of beauty do, however, have an empirical basis.
The results of scientific research on aesthetic experiences have been used as criteria for categorizing beauty. Beauty is usually measured according to the degree to which it satisfies a number of previously accepted criteria.
In order to define beauty, there are several questions that are important to answer
Firstly, how are we to define beauty? Is there a standard definition for beauty, or can different individuals have different, but equally beautiful appearances? In addition to this, the ways by which we personally define beauty are highly subjective and do not always conform to the norms that have been agreed upon by scientists and other aestheticians.
In order to answer the question above, we first need to understand that there are several things that make up a beautiful appearance. In fact, one of the most important things that make up beauty is our perception of that appearance. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and not necessarily in the form of outward physical beauty.
The beauty that we see in others is beauty in itself
We may wish that others were beautiful, but what actually makes them beautiful is not so much what they do, as what they are: their underlying characteristics.
For instance, consider how you feel about people who have red hair, dark skin, big breasts, big lips, and so on. You may think that these are features of beauty, but in truth, they are more to do with your own opinion of how you see beauty. And this is why beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
When you look at someone, whether in person or through a mirror, you may be tempted to say that they possess ‘true beauty’. Yet what makes somebody beautiful is something other than their physical appearance.
Physical beauty is only a means to an end, while true beauty is something that you are because of yourself. Only then can beauty truly be defined.