Philosophers Key to The Development of Ideas of Beauty: Philosophy Forums

Philosophers Key to The Development of Ideas of Beauty

Dusty
Graduate

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Posted 04/02/08 - 01:07 AM: Subject: Philosophers Key to The Development of Ideas of Beauty	#1
Philosophers Key to The Development of Traditional Ideas of Beauty The box wouldn't let me fit that in its entirety as the title. Anyway, who were the philosophers key to the traditional development of the ideas around beauty? I've read of Pythagoras and Kant, but don't fully understand their role and I need a better overview. Keep it chronological if you can, if you could offer some philosophers who evolved traditional ideas into such areas as ironic appreciation or what have you that would be great. Thanks.

Skinny.
Jazzman

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Posted 07/10/08 - 09:00 AM:	#2
Beauty is basicly certain colours, shapes and light conditions that our brain positively responds to, for some reason. It's more a scientific area, than a philisophical one.

iamtheother
Philosophy B.A. (almost)

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Posted 08/14/08 - 04:35 PM:	#3
Kant's The Critique of Judgement is where you find his aesthetics. Personally, it's one of my favorite arguments for the power of aesthetics. For Kant (roughly speaking, and not including its place between the good and the agreeable): Beauty is something which possess perfect form. It is more akin to the ancient greek concept of techne, in that it achieves perfection as well as craftmanship. It is unclear what exactly "perfect form" actually means, but more or less it gives us the sensation of perfection. And at least culturally, perfection entails something positive. The Sublime however (one of my favorite philosophical theories) is basically that which is overwhelming to a point beyond comprehension. If you have ever seen or experienced something that almost made me feel as though you could be lost in it -- that is The Sublime. Another example is: imagine yourself standing at the edge of a cliff. At the edge the only thing you can see is a nearly bottomless pit. At the exact point when you realize you're at the tipping point between falling off the cliff and remaining on the edge - you've experienced the indescribale effect of The Sublime. (At least this is how I understand it). Hope that helps.

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