...Is beauty subjective? In the philosophical domain, the question over subjectivity of beauty has been greatly discussed and debated. If one wishes to look for definite outcome of these debates, we could as well say that beauty has been viewed by majority as objective entity in past but postmodernist views have rendered it as subjective once again. In the paper we plan to inspect upon the topic from scratch by looking at the following questions. In what sense is something beautiful? How can one firmly criticise that one’s taste is better or worse than the other? How can one defend a particular style in the face of many other contradictory opponents? We also put forward some of the historical perspective of the debate. For example, Plato’s view of objective beauty. He can considered as one of the pioneers over the topic. He wrote meticulously on the subject, what is beautiful was largely defined by a few individuals who were thought to actually have taste, who thought that only a classical building could represent beauty. They suggested that there was an objective criterion in measuring beauty instead of one that was subject to our moods, emotions, and personality. We then show how this idea fell over how classical beauty was born, dead, and revived. We also inspect over how objective beauty become obsolete i.e. where did the objective standard of beauty go wrong? Why would anyone rival against the absolute formulas for anything. How does concept of ‘absolute’ so...
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...Three Issues Considered The first question I will address is “Are science and philosophy closely interrelated, or are they different in their goals and methods? Science supposes that there is only one proper basis of knowledge, it is experiment and rational analysis of nature. Philosophy tends to say that there are many ways of understanding, just as there are many forms of knowledge and many beginnings of that knowledge. In the beginning there were sciences but no actual scientist. They were all known as philosophers. Philosophy invented intellectual thought and rigorous reasoning which in turn is what invented the sciences. Philosophy continues to influence science by questioning the science's weaknesses. Some people think that the sciences can stand apart from philosophy. That philosophy is all questions, never giving a real answer. Where as, science is a methodology that is based on research and experimentation. “The specific sciences cannot and should not break their connections with true philosophy” (Spirkin, A.). By doing this they would have no questions for them to research and experiment. According to Wolff, the Milesians who are considered philosophers were also scientist. Thales who is known as the first philosopher was an astronomer. By his knowledge of the stars he could predict the weather (Wolff, 14). “Following Thales were the Milesians Anaximander and Anaximenes, who expanded and developed speculative theories about the basic components of nature and...
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...Summary The Critique of Judgment, often called the Third Critique, does not have as clear a focus as the first two critiques. In broad outline, Kant sets about examining our faculty of judgment, which leads him down a number of divergent paths. While the Critique of Judgment deals with matters related to science and teleology, it is most remembered for what Kant has to say about aesthetics. Kant calls aesthetic judgments “judgments of taste” and remarks that, though they are based in an individual’s subjective feelings, they also claim universal validity. Our feelings about beauty differ from our feelings about pleasure and moral goodness in that they are disinterested. We seek to possess pleasurable objects, and we seek to promote moral goodness, but we simply appreciate beauty without feeling driven to find some use for it. Judgments of taste are universal because they are disinterested: our individual wants and needs do not come into play when appreciating beauty, so our aesthetic response applies universally. Aesthetic pleasure comes from the free play between the imagination and understanding when perceiving an object. Kant distinguishes the beautiful from the sublime. While the appeal of beautiful objects is immediately apparent, the sublime holds an air of mystery and ineffability. While a Greek statue or a pretty flower is beautiful, the movement of storm clouds or a massive building is sublime: they are, in a sense, too great to get our heads around. Kant argues...
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...Aesthetician" redirects here. For a cosmetologist who specializes in the study of skin care, see Esthetician. Aesthetics (/ɛsˈθɛtɪks/; also spelled æsthetics and esthetics) is a branch ofphilosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.[1][2] It is more scientifically defined as the study ofsensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentimentand taste.[3] More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature."[4][5] More specific aesthetic theory, often with practical implications, relating to a particular branch of the arts is divided into areas of aesthetics such as art theory, literary theory, film theory and music theory. An example from art theory is aesthetic theory as a set of principles underlying the work of a particular artist or artistic movement: such as the Cubist aesthetic.[6] Contents Edit The word aesthetic is derived from the Greek αἰσθητικός (aisthetikos, meaning "esthetic, sensitive, sentient"), which in turn was derived from αἰσθάνομαι (aisthanomai, meaning "I perceive, feel, sense").[7] The term "aesthetics" was appropriated and coined with new meaning in the German form Æsthetik(modern spelling Ästhetik) by Alexander Baumgarten in 1735. Aesthetics and the philosophy of artEdit Aesthetics is for the artist as Ornithology is for the birds. — Barnett Newman[8][9] For some, aesthetics is considered a synonym for the philosophy of...
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...What was Susan Wolfe's thesis meaning "arises from loving objects worthy of love and engaging with them in a positive way" Susan Wolfe Bipartite Means 2 parts (subject and object) Susan Wolfe Endoxic Accepted by everyone Why is Wolfe's essay considered endoxic? Subject finds passion, object engaging in passion 2 main reason's for bipartite view -Subjective only = doesn't discriminate enough -Objective only = Reasons for caution -1/other leaves too much out Baraka Movie, 3 definitions Breath of Life in Dwelling, Blessing, indwelling Emerson's movement Trancendentalism Emerson and importance of water lecture Boston @ Athenaeum (love of knowledge) History of Emerson (4 steps) 1. Pastor 2. Married Ellen Tucker 3. Ellen dies 4. Emerson opens Ellen's tomb (sees sunrise the next day) Importance of Polarity Action and Reaction (Newton's 3rd law) 4 Main Points of Compensation 1. Proper Understanding of a person 2. Derives from polarity/balance 3. Learn laws through acting and observing 4. Growth comes from understanding and awareness of compensation Philosophy's Responsibility according to Arthur Schopenhauer Tell full truth 2 reasons to not believe in an all good, all wise and all powerful being 1. Obvious imperfections of humans 2. The misery that's everywhere What misery and suffering is caused by and the way to redemption and the way to end suffering Way of redemption is deny the will. Will to live Schopenhauer's 4 steps to awakening 1. Understand...
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...Subjective Experience Subjectivity is a constant and integral part of the human experience. Love, lust, like, dislike, taste, smell, views about beauty and ugliness and art. How you view this paragraph and this book involves subjectivity- your taste about the writing style, word choice, chapter subjects and length, book cover. By definition, a subjective experience is a product of the individual's mind. While real and often profound, the subjective experience cannot be objectively measured by others. When someone is listening to music, the music's note, pitch, speed, volume and the listener's ear vibration and heartbeat can be measured by scientific instruments, but the listener's aesthetic experience cannot. This experience is experienced by the listener alone. Even if asked to, the listener could not fully translate the experience to others, in part because it is beyond words. Objective Experience An objective experience is something you plan to achieve. A military objective is the overall plan for a mission. The objective for a bake sale is to raise money. If your objective is to learn a new word, you have succeeded. An objective experience is the point of something. If you don’t understand the objective of a class, then you don’t know what you were supposed to learn. The word itself is often used in business or work. Another meaning of objective is “looking at things in a detached, impartial, fact-based way.” If a police officer falls in love with a witness, it might...
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...Suitable Realism Although realist artists attempt to convey a candid image of modern life, their tendencies to render a more relatable and aesthetically pleasing result exceeds their objective realities. In both Huysmans’ Against Nature and James’ The Real Thing, the protagonists seek a more evocative reality; one that transcends the boundaries of the objective and replaces the idea of what is natural with the more arousing powers of imagination. In James’ short story, using the real thing, defined by the true nature of Major and Mrs. Monarch, becomes irrelevant to his depiction as the figures rendered by the artist appear as uninhabited forms and in no way suggest the reality of their social stature. Instead, what in person appears artificial and inauthentic, two separate beings insignificant to the social realities of superiority in the eighteenth-century, embrace the dignified postures and mannerisms of high society to a higher degree than the Monarchs who in fact are the real thing. In Against Nature, Huysmans’ Des Esseintes escapes 19th century bourgeoisie society in a manufactured sanctuary, void of anything real or absolute. What is real outside of his retreat has no value, but his own reverie, contrived and artificial, creates a deeper and more emotional beauty. The characters of Charles Dickens, the women of Gustave Moreau, the artificial flowers, “fashioned by the hands of true artists,” encapsulate the essence of his imaginary reality. Transcending into Realist art...
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...discover and explore the center of consciousness, the limited point of view, ambivalence and ambiguity. The pictorial method and the realism, the scenic structuring of the plot combined with the subjective reconstruction of the intelligent observer; the dramatic form combined with the field of consciousness. CHARACTERISTICS: the referential ambiguity in pronouns; the end-linking, which shows the insecurity of someone who never considers anything finished (but nothing is ever finished in Jame’s world, there’s always some word, some idea at the end of the period to repeat. James revised his works again and again after serial publication, for new editions… He is one of the most autobiographical of the great fiction writers, and when he makes his characters projections of himself, the result is ambiguity. He doesn’t use the actual events of his life in his writings but his mental life, his thoughts, conflicts and emotions, since James’s style is personal and subjective. This is clear and precise in his earlier fiction and more intricate and elaborate in his later work. James progressed from a traditional language to a highly personal one. The content in his prose is concerned with understanding and with emotional appreciation derived from experience. At times the objective world almost seems to have disappeared from his later novels. He wished to represent that truth...
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...books ensuring that women are to be compensated as a man in the equal jobs. Comparisons can not be made between individuals holding the same job at different companies(1). This set of laws in called the Equality Pay Act of 1963(1). There is however, no such law stating that men and women should be compensated as to the terms of the concept of comparable worth. Under comparable worth, jobs would be rated, and points would be assigned according to characteristics such as necessary knowledge and skills, mental demands, accountability, and working conditions. Jobs scoring the same would then be paid the same, regardless of the pay differentials that might prevail in the market. The evaluation procedure may appear objective, but it in fact is highly subjective. Although it makes sense for job attributes such as skills and working...
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...which Socrates persuades Meno that no one desires bad things. Ultimately, this essay concerns the construction of virtue under the Socratic Method. The structure of this essay is as follows: First, I will briefly provide an outline of Socrates’ argument against Meno’s idea of virtue. After which, I will provide a counter to Socrates’ argument, in short being – virtue (again, good) does not exist as entity beyond our imagination {therefore, subjective (that being dependent upon one’s perception)}, thus, as we construct our imagination, we construct virtue, thus, obviously, virtue is necessarily an illusion (a false idea/perception); after that, I will play the role of Socrates and give a hypothetical response, to suggest that even...
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...human beings. Symposium, is a dialogue by Plato, about a dinner party in honor of the tragedian Agathon, after they have finished eating Phaedrus suggests that each person in turn should make a speech about the praise of god of love. Symposium not only gives us theory of Forms in Diotima's discussion of the Form of Beauty, but it also gives us a number of varying perspectives on love. One more important thing to consider is that Diotima is not known to be a historical figure, and the way in which she is introduced suggests that she is almost certainly just a literary device developed by Plato to express his own ideas. In this theory, we see Plato rejecting the romanticization of sexual love, valuing above all an asexual and all-consuming passion for wisdom and beauty. Plato clearly regards actual physical or sexual contact between lovers as degraded and wasteful forms of erotic expression. Because the true goal of eros is real beauty and real beauty is the Form of Beauty, what Plato calls Beauty Itself, eros finds its fulfillment only in Platonic philosophy. Unless it channels its power of love into “higher pursuits,” which culminate in the knowledge of the Form of Beauty, eros is doomed to frustration. For this reason, Plato thinks that most people sadly squander the real power of love by limiting themselves to the mere pleasures of...
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...Unacquirable Objectivity in Journalism For thousands of years, humans have been searching for truth, for virtue and for beauty, and the most they want to achieve is a combination of all these three aspects. But now appears a doubt that whether these three things can harmoniously inosculate with each other. As is known to all that the current world is an information world, a media world where people could communicate with each other and receive varieties of information through the omnipotent media, people read and listen to the articles, critiques, essays and reports and dip themselves into the endless sea of thoughts, opinions, values spread by the authors and publishers. Therefore it is quite essential to figure out whether the readers, the receivers are surrounded in a "true" media environment, is the information they received true and objective. This essay will firstly introduce the basic theory foundation of this article by Michael Schudson and make a brief analysis of it, next the essay will talk about the form and the content of journalism. Then it puts emphasis on the objectivity within journalism and lastly it put the theoretical analysis into a current case and generally discusses how to reach the objectivity in journalism. Michael Schudson (2001, pp.149-170) has said "the belief in objectivity is a faith in facts, a distrust in values and a commitment to their segregation". Living in such an informative society and with journalism playing a much more...
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...The problem of evil is no problem at all In religious texts the world over the Abrahamic God possesses three inherent traits. He is omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent. God's omnibenevolence is one of the most appropriate reasons for worshiping him. But with that being said one finds it hard to view God as omnibenevolent when there is so much evil and suffering in the world. Some Atheists, perhaps unjustly, wield this discrepancy between idealistic dogma and perceived reality as strong evidence against the existence of God. First assume God exists. Along with his other powers, and most importantly for our species, God is supposed to possess omnibenevolence. Imagine a world created by an omnibenevolent god. What would this world look like? Most simply stated it would probably be a world like our own but with the absence of malevolence and suffering. This is a problem however, because by definition it does not match the world in which we exist. By imagining a universe without evil surely an omnipotent being could create such a thing if he so chose. God does not seem to have created such a universe, therefore he cannot be said to possess omnibenevolence. Or perhaps God wished to create such a universe but was incapable, refuting his omnipotence. Some atheists have used this line of thought to argue against any notion of a benevolent, all powerful God. At face value some might find this completely plausible but it is not as firm an argument as an atheist would hope. The...
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...nearly unbearable without the use of imagination. Essay Map: The bleak and depressive theme of this poem exposes the poet’s struggles with finding meaning in his own life, reflects the stability of an objective view of reality rather than a subjective view, and provides an excellent example of the tricks that the right brain is capable of playing on the mind as a whole. I. Wilbur’s Search for Meaning in Life Is Reflected by His Writings A. The poem is written in a style that is quite unusual compared to Wilbur’s other literary works. B. The only positive outlook on life is found while the speaker is still asleep. C. He uses such harsh words as “rape” and “gallows” to make a point about the brutality of everyday life. D. His mixed feelings about life itself are exposed by absurd juxtapositions like “bitter/love” and “thieves/nuns”. E. He is able to find meaning by embracing his imagination as a part of life, and living according to that reality. II. Achieving an Objective View of Reality is a Healthy Practice A. Objective reality, or objectivity, is defined by the World English Dictionary as a worldview existing independently of perception or an individual’s conceptions. B. An objective view of reality is healthier than a subjective view of reality because no one can make informed, sane decisions while being influenced by his own misguided feelings. C. In an altered state of consciousness, the mind is unable to differentiate...
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...judged Aesthetics: A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art 2. When referring to an artwork, it is responding to or interpreting critical judgments about an artwork. 3. Art criticism is the analysis and evaluation of an art piece. 4. An experience takes place when an artwork is completed in a suitable way. In an experience, all thoughts and continuous part run of a free course. Experience may also be something that is important in a significant way. 5. Interpreting an artwork is important because it helps clarify thoroughly and explain the art piece. 6. Art criticism is like being a detective because the viewer must assume that the artist has a secret message hidden within the artwork. 7. Step one: Description is carefully making a list of all the things you see in an artwork. This includes: * The size of the artwork, the medium used, and the process used * The subject, object, and details * The elements of art used in the work 8. When looking at a piece of art, you must notice the size of the work and the medium used. These can be found in the credit lines of each artwork. 9. The height of the art piece would be slightly shorter than my height but it would almost be as tall as me. My actual height is 5’6 and the painting’s height is 5’5. 10. Being objective mean that the viewer can say that what they see is actually it and they are sure about it. I cannot mean...
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