beauty changes everything
When gas prices rise, people become less inclined to simply go for a drive that doesn't have a specific purpose other than its own delight. But one kind of drive that doesn't serve any practical purposes that people regularly take (each fall) is a trip to see autumn foliage. People from suburbs and cities alike … Continue reading Leaf-Peeping: The Search for the Aesthetic
On August 16, 2017, I led a workshop called Philosophy of Design: Aesthetics to the Graphic Design Studio at Artist for Humanity. First of all, if you don't know about them, you will be inspired to learn more. They employ about 150 teenagers to learn and make art. They all begin in the painting studio … Continue reading Aesthetics for Teens!
SKORIN-KAPOV, Jadranka. The Intertwining of Aesthetics and Ethics: Exceeding of expectations, Ecstasy, Sublimity. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2016. 236 pp. Cloth, $85.00—Rather than simply showing that aesthetics and ethics have some overlap or similarities, Jadranka Skorin-Kapov makes the stronger claim that both branches have a common experiential ground. Through an extensive survey (with dense exposition) … Continue reading Jadranka Skorin-Kapov. The Intertwining of Aesthetics and Ethics
An encyclopedia entry by Michael Spicher: Aesthetic Taste. This article explores some early foundations for later theories of taste in the ancient and medieval worlds. The largest section of this essay emphasizes what has been called the century of taste, the 18th century. Many of these philosophers are lesser known. Then, it delves into the … Continue reading Aesthetic Taste
Michael Bond has written a piece for the BBC discussing the hidden ways that architecture can affect our well-being. Drawing from current studies from neuroscience and psychology, Bond examines how small details on buildings can have a big affect on people. One notable study, conducted by Colin Ellard, showed that people are negatively affected by … Continue reading Details that Matter
One goes always upwards for the sake of this Beauty, starting out from beautiful things and using them like rising stairs. - Plato, Symposium, 211c In the Summer 2017 issue of ArchitectureBoston, Michael Spicher presents some philosophical reflections on striving for beauty, even though we may not have a perfect definition of it. For a pdf … Continue reading The Rising Stairs of Beauty
“One goes always upwards for the sake of this Beauty, starting out from beautiful things and using them like rising stairs.” -Plato, Symposium, 211c Einstein, defending his theory of general relativity, claimed that it was too beautiful, so it could not be false. Beauty has been a motivation and an indicator for many scientists (maybe … Continue reading Beauty as an Indicator in Physics
THE SUBLIME IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY: AESTHETICS, ETHICS, AND NATURE. By Emily Brady. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Pp. Xi+227. Hard Cover $72.00, ISBN: 9780521194143. People commonly refer to pleasurable experiences of nature as experiences of beauty. Sometimes, however, beauty does not seem to be the appropriate term, causing some people to turn to the sublime. … Continue reading Emily Brady’s The Sublime in Modern Philosophy
We often think of beauty in terms of 'nice', like it's something nice to have. But, we continue, it isn't really necessary. It's something that we add to our lives, if and only if everything else is in order. We have occasion to experience beauty during times of stress, but this is surely only accidental. … Continue reading The Frivolity of Beauty?
Beauty has motivated many scientists to research the world. Since many consider beauty to be subjective, this may seem a strange motivation for a field that is considered mostly objective. Ashutosh Jogalekar offers an idea about the relationship between beauty and truth in scientific research. Click here for the article.