Philosophy
My Definition of Beauty
I have a burning desire to share my personal vision of beauty. I will provide my definition of it. Moreover, I will try to uncover what it takes to experience different kinds of beauty starting from the easiest to percept – the sensuous one, and ending with the transcendental beauty, the understanding of which requires disciplined noble soul and pure mind.
First of all we need to distinguish between material beauty or so called “beauty of things”, which can be perceived by our senses, and the ideal one or intellectual beauty, which can be comprehended by poignant wit and divine foresight. The first one is easily reached. It surrounds us everywhere. All we have to do is to open our eyes widely and watch but not just look through as we commonly do. The prime kind of this sensuous beauty hides in pristine nature – in a water drop, in a falling leave, in some simple things we do not pay attention to in our everyday busy life. A little bit more complicated kind of the sensuous beauty lies in art, which can be either the reflection of the prime beauty or the fruit of inconceivable human imagination.
The ideal beauty based on Intellectual Principle mentioned by Plotinus in his work “Beauty, Sensuous and Ideal” is something of a higher order, something truly intellective, free from any kind of form or other limitation, it is the afflatus from above associated with the Absolute Good (462, pt. 7, ch. 56).
In the light of this evidence what definition of the Beauty as a Whole can we provide? I believe the Beauty is the abstract philosophical concept, which could be either perceived or comprehended, resulting in inner thrill of the soul, bringing delight and joy or even exaltation. As for Aristotle such a thrill can be caused by the certain magnitude and order of whatever being seen by the spectator (469, pt. 7, ch. 57).
Second thing I would like to elucidate is how it happens that one can feel the thrill of the beauty with his whole soul while others are completely indifferent to its joys. Is this inborn ability or obtained? Could it be developed or does it stay constant through out the life? Plotinus clung to the idea that the soul could and must be trained in order to become more perceptive to the virtue (463, pt. 7, ch. 56). As for me I dare to claim it is an innate nature gift to feel the beauty. And it only can be developed if the dawning of it exists somewhere deep in the soul. The main point of view of Plotinus was that only the beautiful soul could experience the Beauty. And what does it take to become beautiful inside? Like a sculptor creates a sculpture the one ought to “cut away all that is excessive, straighten all that is crooked, bring light to all that is overcast, until you shall see the perfect goodness surely established in the stainless shrine” (463, pt. 7, ch. 56).
All in all, although complicity to the Beauty, especially to its higher transcendent manifestation, is hardly reached and implies great work of mind and soul, it is still possible and generously awarded by inner harmony and exaltation.
Works cited
Mulvaney, Robert. Classic Philosophical Questions. University of South Carolina: Pearson, 2012. MySearchLab.com
