Where does our appreciation of beauty come from?

Status
Not open for further replies.
KamSingh KamSingh it is interesting that you started this thread with only questions then critique/question(argue with) nearly every response, yet as far as I can tell, have yet to express your own OPINION on your subject of beauty.

Why don't you enlighten the rest of us with your perception of beauty?
 
If beauty is an absolute universal truth as I assert how do you expect me to convey it to you in it's entirety using words? This is something you will have to find within yourself once you have transcended your perception of beauty. The questions provoke inquiry, I can only try to bring awareness I cannot gift it to you.

If you would like some enlightenment I would suggest you start by watching "Why Beauty Matters by Roger Scruton" you'll find it on YouTube.

My main contention is with those who claim it's all subjective, if so, doesn't that invalidate your opinion of beauty, what makes your opinion more valid than the others?
 
Last edited:
As a former designer, and with a degree in cognitive science (that includes human perception), I can tell you that beauty isn't as subjective as one might think.

Humans are 80% visual, so let's stick to visual beauty, and almost everything we visually percieve can be broken down into parts that make out a whole, the so-called Gestalt Laws becomes strongly guiding when creating something visually pleasing. A derivation of these laws are white space, alignment and visual weight that are also powerful principles to lean on when striving for natrually percieved beauty.

Beyond our unconscious visual perceptual mechanisms, whe have cognitive patterns that are biologically pre-determined. We are e.g. always striving to complete goals (broken down to activities and operations), in a certain context, and under certain pre-conditions. So if we know who is trying to accomplish what and in what context, we can chose a design that with high certainty will be appreciated.

...in short.
 
J. Doyle said:
KamSingh KamSingh it is interesting that you started this thread with only questions then critique/question(argue with) nearly every response, yet as far as I can tell, have yet to express your own OPINION on your subject of beauty.

Why don't you enlighten the rest of us with your perception of beauty?
Click to expand...
In knife world ... every knife you make :thumbsup:
 
If beauty is subjective then why even post here in this sub forum?

Criticism certainly cannot exist in a subjective world since “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Criticism would require objectivity. So the only reason one would post here is for validation or in an effort to boost ones ego.

To put it simply a subjective view of beauty confirms that this forum is and can only be one big c/j and all those that defend subjectivity are fully complicit.

Feelings be damned, speak the truth when you see it.

Unless of course you believe truth is relative, then keep your damn mouth shut. :D
 
Most forums are a symbiotic type environment......we come here to show off what we like and we come here to see what is being shown off

so we all need each other :)

one day the show off is the looker and vice versa

the conversations and the friendships are in the end the best part
 
JParanee said:
Most forums are a symbiotic type environment......we come here to show off what we like and we come here to see what is being shown off

so we all need each other :)

one day the show off is the looker and vice versa

the conversations and the friendships are in the end the best part
Click to expand...

the objective beauty of this forum summed up perfectly...
 
I’m going to end the discussion here as I believe everything that needed to be said was said and necessary in order to come to this conclusion.

Now some time to reflect I think. :cool:
 
I hope that you are ok
 
What a poor attempt at gaslighting, this disgusting behaviour from the moderators really is the ugly face of this forum.
 
I can see why you are so butt hurt since you are the ringleader of the c/j after all but I forgive you.
 
it was a sincere question. I've received correspondence indicating similar concerns by other members due to your strangely confrontational posts. I really do hope that you are ok

I've asked the other mods to step in and deal with this as they see fit, if they see fit to step in
 
What utter b*llocks, a sincere approach would have been made privately, your petty comment was obviously designed to undermine the validity of my arguments after I had already closed the thread giving plenty of time for any counter argument.

“There's a difference between maliciously offending somebody - on purpose - and somebody being offended by...truth. If you're offended by the truth, that's your problem. I have no obligation to not offend you if I'm speaking the truth. The truth is supposed to offend you; that's how you know you don't got it.”
 
I'm sorry you feel that way, but think you're making quite the leap regarding my intentions. I'll admit that I was bummed you'd locked the thread, since I found the topic to be quite interesting

I see most threads as gifts to this forum, because as we all know, this forum only exists due to content generated herein. That you would take back your gift is sad to me. Since you seem inclined to continue the conversation, I'ma open it back up

For the record, I have never participated in a circle jerk- metaphorical or otherwise
 
Kam, YOU need to chill.

This thread started out beautifully, with a nebulous question, which would inspire all sorts of responses.

And then it got UGLY. A 'cyclone of stupidity' leveled at someone who didn't aspire to 'your' depth? WTF?

You asked questions and then challenged them. Nothing added up. I stood back at that point. Who's 'truth' is correct? Jeez.

This IS how people on alcohol interact. I've seen enough misdirected threads to wonder.....

Lorien asked a legitimate question, from my perspective. You are RANTING, and that's unlike you.

Your friend,

Coop
 
Coop my friend, how dare you accuse a devout Sikh of being an alcoholic, yes we are known for having a fiery temper and combined with a sharp intellect I guess that intimidates some.

I didn’t expect everyone to understand the concepts I put forth, which is why I locked down the thread after putting it all on the table giving members time to mull over the ideas.

Yes, my patience with those that thought little about their response was short, causing them to go back and re-evaluate but those that displayed arrogant ignorance really turned this debate sour and when confronted with a simple concept became instantly confused leading us nowhere.

As for the moderation, not even worth a mention.
 
KamSingh said:
There are many things in this life which are considered beautiful, be it a beautiful car or a beautiful woman.

The question is, how do we intrinsically know when something strikes us as beautiful.

Can it be universally agreed upon when a thing is considered beautiful? How so? Is there a formula to beauty?

If there is no formula, is the source of our inspiration in creating beautiful things the same source of our appreciation for beauty?
Click to expand...
I have to admit I have not read the replies. Just jumped in and told it how I experience it. I realized later that this is a very old post.
Beauty is a form of love in that it is love manifest in form. Love is the one energy we all have in common and share. It is the ubiquitous energy of creation in consciousness. There is One Consciousness and One Love we all share. We each resonate with love in our own way based on genetics and personality. When something resonates with our sense of love we recognize our selves in it. We recognize our own innate sense of love in something that appears other than us. The experience of external beauty is a resonation with the beauty we have within us. A reflection of the divine in recognition.
 
Last edited:
And... We're done here.

Closed.
 
if we are the lone sentient beings is an unimaginably vast universe, how can we ever answer these types of questions with any degree of absolute certainty? What can we compare our personal experience to, (as a species) but to one another? How can that provide absolute clarity, since all humans are fundamentally the same? We do the best we can with what we have, but until we can compare notes with aliens, utilitarian speculation is all we got

There are a number of facts that I learned in school which have since proven to be wrong. There are a lot of people who disagree on current facts themselves, so how can we expect to come to a consensus on our senses?

I don't feel comfortable claiming to answer these big questions with an absolute. The closer I ever get to an answer, the more I realize there are other ways of seeing things which elude me due to factors, such as the context in which I find myself, that make me question it all over again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top