What is beauty?
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panta dokimazete
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
hmmm - you are moving into transcendent areas.
I think we are "wired" by God to recognize beauty - and yes - symmetry is a factor - I'd say recognizing underlying order or logic through our senses is a key factor.
I think we are "wired" by God to recognize beauty - and yes - symmetry is a factor - I'd say recognizing underlying order or logic through our senses is a key factor.
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VirginiaHuguenot
Puritanboard Librarian
VirginiaHuguenot
Puritanboard Librarian
Thanks Andrew:
So "Unity in Variety" is one description - seems to fit.
Symmetry is another.
What are other traits of beauty (in people, in music, in art, in scenary)...
If beauty is the pleasure of looking at something well made, what is that something was well-made for evil ends?
P.s. If beauty and truth go together, why can photoshop make some people more beautiful if it does not make their image more truthful? Can beauty be untruthful?
So "Unity in Variety" is one description - seems to fit.
Symmetry is another.
What are other traits of beauty (in people, in music, in art, in scenary)...
If beauty is the pleasure of looking at something well made, what is that something was well-made for evil ends?
P.s. If beauty and truth go together, why can photoshop make some people more beautiful if it does not make their image more truthful? Can beauty be untruthful?
ColdSilverMoon
Puritan Board Senior
Beauty in what context? Human beauty, or beauty in general?
Mason: Beauty in everything, including people.
Human beauty (at least female) seems to reside in clear skin which means health, and a certain symmetry.
When I was a cynical atheist I noted that beauty went along with all the markers for greater fertility and health it seemed and the possibility of successful breeding, but the beauty of a human face seems to be one of balance, symmetry and health (lack of defect).
Human beauty (at least female) seems to reside in clear skin which means health, and a certain symmetry.
When I was a cynical atheist I noted that beauty went along with all the markers for greater fertility and health it seemed and the possibility of successful breeding, but the beauty of a human face seems to be one of balance, symmetry and health (lack of defect).
DMcFadden
Puritanboard Commissioner
In women? Radiant, Godly countenance.
One of my residents is in her mid 80s. She is petite, wrinkled, and . . . well . . . old! But, my heartbeat quickens whenever I see her on our campus. She is so full of life and love for the Lord that she radiates beauty. To be in her presence is to experience a transcendent moment of pure joy. Our other residents (male and female) seem to react similarly to her. When her husband was dying of cancer, she cared for him with a servant's heart and a sacrificial devotion. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in my opinion, gazing on a radiant countenance works almost every time for me.
One of my residents is in her mid 80s. She is petite, wrinkled, and . . . well . . . old! But, my heartbeat quickens whenever I see her on our campus. She is so full of life and love for the Lord that she radiates beauty. To be in her presence is to experience a transcendent moment of pure joy. Our other residents (male and female) seem to react similarly to her. When her husband was dying of cancer, she cared for him with a servant's heart and a sacrificial devotion. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in my opinion, gazing on a radiant countenance works almost every time for me.
ColdSilverMoon
Puritan Board Senior
In that case I would say beauty is anything that reflects the glory of God: beauty in His creation such as a dramatic sunsets, rolling hills, or coral reefs, and beauty in acts of goodness that reflect His goodness, such as feeding the poor, comforting widows, etc. Does that mean anything man-made cannot be beautiful? No, because God created man and gave him the ability to create beautiful things - such as music, painting, dance, etc.
As for (purely physical) human beauty, research indicates male beauty is associated with being "more manly," while females are beautiful if they are perceived as more feminine. For example, in nearly every single civilization throughout history, long hair and large breasts have been associated with female beauty, while thick jaws and developed musculature have been associated with male beauty. And in terms of facial attractiveness, symmetry is the primary factor in the perception of beauty of both men and women in multiple experiments.
In another interesting study, male attractiveness and body odor seemed to be linked. A group of women were asked to rank a group of men according to their physical attractiveness. Then the same men wore a t-shirt for days without showering or using deodorant, and the same women were asked to smell the shirts without knowing which man wore them, and then rank the shirts in order of desired body odor. Amazingly, the body odor rank and the attractiveness rank were almost identical! I guess that shows that whatever subconscious element makes men physically attractive to women also permeates their sweat.
kvanlaan
Puritan Board Doctor
to brother McFaddenI think that beauty would have to be considered more than skin deep. Beauty (to me) takes in not only physical attributes, but must also include the soul of the person. I know girls who would be considered gorgeous, but are not 'beautiful' by any stretch of the imagination, because they're two dimensional. I also know women who are about as pretty as a mud fence but are as beautiful as the day is long.
That's my sappy $.02
In that case I would say beauty is anything that reflects the glory of God: beauty in His creation such as a dramatic sunsets, rolling hills, or coral reefs, and beauty in acts of goodness that reflect His goodness, such as feeding the poor, comforting widows, etc. Does that mean anything man-made cannot be beautiful? No, because God created man and gave him the ability to create beautiful things - such as music, painting, dance, etc.
As for (purely physical) human beauty, research indicates male beauty is associated with being "more manly," while females are beautiful if they are perceived as more feminine. For example, in nearly every single civilization throughout history, long hair and large breasts have been associated with female beauty, while thick jaws and developed musculature have been associated with male beauty. And in terms of facial attractiveness, symmetry is the primary factor in the perception of beauty of both men and women in multiple experiments.
In another interesting study, male attractiveness and body odor seemed to be linked. A group of women were asked to rank a group of men according to their physical attractiveness. Then the same men wore a t-shirt for days without showering or using deodorant, and the same women were asked to smell the shirts without knowing which man wore them, and then rank the shirts in order of desired body odor. Amazingly, the body odor rank and the attractiveness rank were almost identical! I guess that shows that whatever subconscious element makes men physically attractive to women also permeates their sweat.
Wooohooooo, I guess I am very attractive then! The flies seem to like me!
JBaldwin
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
I think that beauty would have to be considered more than skin deep. Beauty (to me) takes in not only physical attributes, but must also include the soul of the person. I know girls who would be considered gorgeous, but are not 'beautiful' by any stretch of the imagination, because they're two dimensional. I also know women who are about as pretty as a mud fence but are as beautiful as the day is long.
That's my sappy $.02
It's good, sappy
To be like Christ is to be beautiful.
ReformedWretch
Puritan Board Doctor
but there is a beauty that men are warned about in scripture, right? To not be distracted or led astray by beauty (like Samson). I think there are many women who fit this, that Christian men need to be weary of because of their "beauty".
Jerusalem Blade
Puritan Board Doctor
Tim Keller has a saying, "The essence of beauty is relationship."
I remember Robert Persig dealing with this subject in his book "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance". If I remember correctly, his conclusion was that we know things like 'quality' and 'beauty' exist, but they are indefinable with words. It is one of those 'rational' vs 'irrational' dichotomies.
Davidius
Inactive User
If you want to read a book on Christian aesthetics, I've heard good things about these...
Amazon.com: The Beauty Of The Infinite: The Aesthetics Of Christian Truth: David Bentley Hart: Books
Amazon.com: Art And the Bible: Two Essays (Ivp Classics): Francis A. Schaeffer, Michael Card: Books
Amazon.com: The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing (Writers' Palette Book): Leland Ryken: Books
Amazon.com: Art for God's Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts: Philip Graham Ryken: Books
Amazon.com: The Beauty Of The Infinite: The Aesthetics Of Christian Truth: David Bentley Hart: Books
Amazon.com: Art And the Bible: Two Essays (Ivp Classics): Francis A. Schaeffer, Michael Card: Books
Amazon.com: The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing (Writers' Palette Book): Leland Ryken: Books
Amazon.com: Art for God's Sake: A Call to Recover the Arts: Philip Graham Ryken: Books
VirginiaHuguenot
Puritanboard Librarian
I haven't read The Beauty of the Infinite or The Christian Imagination, but I quoted from Art for God's Sake in the link above and Art and the Bible is a classic that is definitely worth reading when it comes to studying Christian aesthetics.
I haven't read The Beauty of the Infinite or The Christian Imagination, but I quoted from Art for God's Sake in the link above and Art and the Bible is a classic that is definitely worth reading when it comes to studying Christian aesthetics.
"ordered"
(the bottom of my feet are also nice to look at)
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