More on Beauty and Value
Now if beauty is what causes, "all at once, pain and longing and adoring," something isn't quite right, for I do not have any desire or longing for every work of art that I might find beautiful. But perhaps this is no conflict at all. Perhaps it is what is beautiful in the painting -- some abstract ideal -- that I long for, not the painting itself.
Similarly, I have always been accused of being girl-crazy. Yet, if I think a girl is pretty, I do not have desire for that girl; I simply am admiring an abstract quality that I observe she has -- a good quality that anyone should want to have. I am admiring the beauty, not necessarily the girl itself. (I suppose that when I desire a girl herself as beautiful, that would be called a form of love....)
But what about this abstract quality that makes us long for it and adore it -- this beauty -- is good? I say it is good. In fact, it is interesting to note that the Greek word for "beauty", kalos, also means "good" or "pure". I would have to agree that beauty cannot coexist with evil or impurity.
But what is it about visual arts or poetry or music for example can be called good or pure. I suppose that beautiful artwork has a "good" blend of color, that beautiful poetry portrays "good" images, that beautiful music contains "good" harmony. But we are again stuck at defining what a good blend of color is, or a good image, or harmony. This last example is perhaps the easiest to work with, for good harmony appears to be harmony that follows the mathematical patterns of music. Colors, too, blend in a very mathematical way. Our brains are seemingly designed to recognize this. So we return again to the idea of order as the root of beauty. Yet, still, a perfectly ordered system has no variety to catch our attention and will generally not be considered beautiful. And what about order would have anything to do with goodness?
I also think that perhaps variety and uniqueness is a beauty. Perhaps a combination of uniqueness and order and goodness makes something or someone beautiful....
Similarly, I have always been accused of being girl-crazy. Yet, if I think a girl is pretty, I do not have desire for that girl; I simply am admiring an abstract quality that I observe she has -- a good quality that anyone should want to have. I am admiring the beauty, not necessarily the girl itself. (I suppose that when I desire a girl herself as beautiful, that would be called a form of love....)
But what about this abstract quality that makes us long for it and adore it -- this beauty -- is good? I say it is good. In fact, it is interesting to note that the Greek word for "beauty", kalos, also means "good" or "pure". I would have to agree that beauty cannot coexist with evil or impurity.
But what is it about visual arts or poetry or music for example can be called good or pure. I suppose that beautiful artwork has a "good" blend of color, that beautiful poetry portrays "good" images, that beautiful music contains "good" harmony. But we are again stuck at defining what a good blend of color is, or a good image, or harmony. This last example is perhaps the easiest to work with, for good harmony appears to be harmony that follows the mathematical patterns of music. Colors, too, blend in a very mathematical way. Our brains are seemingly designed to recognize this. So we return again to the idea of order as the root of beauty. Yet, still, a perfectly ordered system has no variety to catch our attention and will generally not be considered beautiful. And what about order would have anything to do with goodness?
I also think that perhaps variety and uniqueness is a beauty. Perhaps a combination of uniqueness and order and goodness makes something or someone beautiful....