beauty changes everything
From 1958 to 1982, two adept philosophers—Monroe Beardsley and George Dickie—debated each other through their books and articles about the nature of aesthetic experience. By seeing the different attempts at an understanding and their respective critiques, it helps us to work through our own notion of what it means to have an aesthetic experience. I … Continue reading Aesthetic Experience: A Debate
People prefer what is familiar to them. Scholars call this the "mere exposure effect." Philosopher Bence Nanay explains: "The more you are exposed to something, the more you tend to like it. Just the mere exposure to something changes your preferences. And this happens even if you are not aware of what you are exposed … Continue reading Seeking the Familiar with a Twist
Quality can be an ambiguous word when people approach from different perspectives. What makes a quality car? It could be how long it will last; how fast it will go; how much it can haul. What makes a quality movie? Answering this question might require us to differentiate between genres, such as horror, comedy, action, … Continue reading Quality Improvement for Healthcare
An aesthetic impact is powerful. From advertising influencing our decisions to political leaders instigating action, aesthetic motivations form a core compulsion of our lives, including for ethical or global issues. People often want to believe that they act only with good reason, since our emotions are frivolous. In "Taste, Foodways, and Everyday Life," Tim Waterman … Continue reading Positive and Negative Aesthetics
Prior to 2020, the word 'metaverse' was not commonly used, especially not in daily discourse. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic as many things transitioned online temporarily, and some for good. Suddenly, the metaverse became a buzzword people see and hear everywhere. Companies started hiring metaverse officers, and some people began claiming expertise in something … Continue reading Why Aesthetics Should Drive the Metaverse
Our personal taste—for example in art, fashion, or music—does not develop by accident; it is not passive. People choose what they view, wear, and follow. But companies and organizations know how to exploit our natural desires for beauty and aesthetics. Before the Internet became a household necessity, people often trusted a friend or family member … Continue reading TikTok Aesthetics
The relation between morality and beauty continues to capture attention. Philosophers, especially moralists like Anthony Cooper (aka Shaftesbury), connected the ability to comprehend beauty to a person's virtue. Making this explicit, Shaftesbury referred to this innate ability to understand beauty as the moral sense. Part of the basis for this belief was the idea that … Continue reading Virtue and the Beautiful
Jonathan Haskel and Stian Westlake describe the shift from tangible to intangible assets in the book, Capitalism Without Capital: The Rise of the Intangible Economy (2018). Tangible assets consist mostly of those objects that take up physical space: machines, factories, vehicles, desks, and computers. Intangible assets involve things like patents or procedures. To get a … Continue reading Aesthetics are Intangible Assets
Described by many as larger than life, Lance Hosey pushed for higher levels of excellence and beauty by architects and designers. He passed away in 2021, but he left a legacy of advocating for the use of aesthetics in green (or sustainable) design. Within his context of design, he held to a core idea that … Continue reading The Beauty of Green Design
The BOLTGROUP, located in Charlotte, NC, offers some insight into when in the design process should people consider aesthetics. The short answer is right away. On their website, they offer a slew of insightful articles about design practice and other ideas. One short essay, called "When to Address Aesthetics in Your NPD Process," stood out. … Continue reading Aesthetics and New Product Design