What is beauty? The classical conception of beauty says that beauty is the arrangement of parts into an ordered whole, which is primordial Western beauty. The classical style of architecture, sculpture, music, and literature all exhibit this notion. Aristotle said that if something is beautiful, it must present order in its arrangement of parts. The same is true for colour. A thing is beautiful when it has symmetry and harmony. However, beauty cannot be conceived from ugliness.
Many ancient accounts of beauty pay homage to the pleasures that are inherent to beauty, and describe them in ecstatic terms. For instance, Plotinus writes about beauty as delight, wonderment, delicious trouble, longing, and love. He describes beauty as trembling, which is a sign that all pleasure is present. Ultimately, beauty is a personal experience, and can never be compared to truth or justice.
Thomas Aquinas’ definition of beauty focuses on the qualities that are associated with it. The criteria of beauty, in his formulation, are “integrity”, “perfection,” “consonance,” and clarity. The definition of beauty can be defined in many different ways, but for the purposes of this article, we will examine some of the most common approaches to beauty. There are many other philosophies, but the most fundamental principles are rooted in Aristotelian philosophy.
Santayana’s definition of beauty identifies beauty as “objectified pleasure”. In other words, the object or experience of beauty is the source of pleasure for the viewer. The classical conception of beauty may be accurate in some cases, but it is unwise when it is associated with capitalism and other forms of oppression. In fact, in the early twentieth century, beauty became associated with capitalism. In some societies, great art is dedicated to furnishing the houses of wealthy people, concealing the suffering of the rich.
