Beauty: absolute or comparative?

What is art? What is beauty?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

Post Reply
Philosophy Explorer
Posts: 5621
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 7:39 am

Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by Philosophy Explorer »

I believe that beauty is comparative. This helps to account for changing fashions, music, art, etc.

What do you think?

PhilX
David Handeye
Posts: 459
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:39 pm
Location: Italia

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by David Handeye »

We use to say, Non è bello ciò che è bello ma è bello ciò che piace,
sounds like, Beauty is not what is beautiful but what you like.
Skip
Posts: 2820
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:34 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by Skip »

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Of course, the beholder's eye is ruled by his mind, which is strongly influenced by his culture.

And then again, what sort of beauty had you in mind?

I find some of the wailing on supermarket Muzak less than enthralling (and often draw unwanted attention by addressing the ceiling, "Would it have killed you to use three notes?" or "Dragging it out longer won't make it music!") and prefer Mozart. Yes, it's comparative beauty, but I could, if pressed, make a convincing case. Ditto Michelangelo vs. the guy who saved his feces [not faces!] in glass vials. But yes, it's a matter of taste.

As for women....
Last edited by Skip on Wed Apr 01, 2015 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
marjoram_blues
Posts: 1629
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:50 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by marjoram_blues »

David Handeye wrote:We use to say, Non è bello ciò che è bello ma è bello ciò che piace,
sounds like, Beauty is not what is beautiful but what you like.
Ciao, David 8)

Does this mean something like...
art experts might evaluate a painting as beautiful; a film as exceptional or v.v. However, the only thing that matters is personal taste.
Or don't follow fashion blindly but suit yourself...
marjoram_blues
Posts: 1629
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:50 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by marjoram_blues »

Philosophy Explorer wrote:I believe that beauty is comparative. This helps to account for changing fashions, music, art, etc.

What do you think?

PhilX
I've usually seen this question posed as 'absolute' or 'relative'. Not sure if there is any subtle difference in use of 'comparative'?
I think that one's own ideas of what is beautiful can change over time. Yes, culture and influences and one's own eye...
marjoram_blues
Posts: 1629
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:50 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by marjoram_blues »

Skip wrote:Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Of course, the beholder's eye is ruled by his mind, which is strongly influenced by his culture.

And then again, what sort of beauty had you in mind?
...
But yes, it's a matter of taste.

As for women....
Naughty, naughty - you big tease, Skip :)
David Handeye
Posts: 459
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2015 6:39 pm
Location: Italia

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by David Handeye »

marjoram_blues wrote:
David Handeye wrote:We use to say, Non è bello ciò che è bello ma è bello ciò che piace,
sounds like, Beauty is not what is beautiful but what you like.
Ciao, David 8)

Does this mean something like...
art experts might evaluate a painting as beautiful; a film as exceptional or v.v. However, the only thing that matters is personal taste.
Or don't follow fashion blindly but suit yourself...
of course, never follow trend and fashion 8)

Ciao marjoram,
Davide
Skip
Posts: 2820
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 1:34 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by Skip »

....As for women, the cultural ideal varies quite a lot over time and from one continent to the next, as do the fashions in clothing, hairstyle and adornments. But there is a consistent theme behind all models of human beauty. We generally prefer a healthy specimen: whole, symmetrical, moderate in body proportions, of or near reproductive age, cheerful of mien and lively of disposition. In other words, we enjoy looking at viable, optimistic representatives of our species. Most of us do not take pleasure in seeing the used-up and damaged, the emaciated and obese, the freakish, wretched and hopeless.

But that doesn't mean we can't find our old mothers and wives beautiful in an entirely personal, emotional way.
marjoram_blues
Posts: 1629
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:50 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by marjoram_blues »

Skip wrote:....As for women, the cultural ideal varies quite a lot over time and from one continent to the next, as do the fashions in clothing, hairstyle and adornments. But there is a consistent theme behind all models of human beauty. We generally prefer a healthy specimen: whole, symmetrical, moderate in body proportions, of or near reproductive age, cheerful of mien and lively of disposition. In other words, we enjoy looking at viable, optimistic representatives of our species. Most of us do not take pleasure in seeing the used-up and damaged, the emaciated and obese, the freakish, wretched and hopeless.

But that doesn't mean we can't find our old mothers and wives beautiful in an entirely personal, emotional way.
Yes, I'm looking forward to visiting David in Florence...and perhaps stroking his perfect buttocks... :wink:
duszek
Posts: 2356
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:27 pm
Location: Thin Air

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by duszek »

Beautiful is usually also lovable.

But sometimes perfect beauty inspires awe, but can be difficult to love.

Imperfections in something basically beautiful can increase the lovableness.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by popeye1945 »

Beauty, absolute or comparative? All things are relative/relational, thus all things are of a comparative nature, duality is the apple of Eden, that which is not, defines that which is.
trokanmariel
Posts: 708
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2018 3:35 am

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by trokanmariel »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:50 pm I believe that beauty is comparative. This helps to account for changing fashions, music, art, etc.

What do you think?

PhilX

An absolute to comparative dimension, I would like to conjecture on, is the Kelly Brook (the British Kelly Brook) conflation politics addition to the abstract conflation politics arena between the Sex Type: Not on funko (a writing is from sex archetype - a Daisy Ridley/Rey aura) and Ideology: (a visual word power aura).

To accomplish this desire, part of the arena is to involve the historic aspects of the loom (headed by Lia Haddock from Limetown), a gravitation to BG trope.

Ideology. On its own, in the Merry Hill shopping centre near Wolverhampton. The term is a visual, it is a conflation however between look and sound. Moreover, the term is a deconstructive exactness of I(the self)-DE(the aristocrat)-ology(the aristocratic process, of Kelly Brook stepping out of the limo).

Merry Hill shopping centre, a place of place, is able to be a connective tissue to Brook's ology; however, disrupting the coherence of the connection is the invitation by Juno Skinner's Sex type: Not on Funko.
The behaviour to sequence, of Skinner is a Not on Funko meaning (in True Lies, she gets wacked by Jamie Lee Curtis's bottle as a rhetoric against limo life). So Skinner is a symmetry owner of the paradigm.

To allow Brook to conveniently leave the ology sequence, she has to realise that her face is in fact an olo meaning.

Skinner was introduced, via her self-struggle being her definition, and now Brook is able to join the right party, a loom orientation, via the supernatural weakness of struggle being her own definition.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by popeye1945 »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:50 pm I believe that beauty is comparative. This helps to account for changing fashions, music, art, etc.

What do you think? PhilX
Phil,
Beauty as in all things is a duality, is, is not. Also, matters of degree, how much of the matter involved embrace that which constitutes the beautiful, form, function, structure, balance these and many more are its many expressions. All this expresses itself as a material to be experienced and thus I believe it speaks to the order which is you physically and mentally. Even that which has lost much of its vitality this too is part of that which is beautiful, there is something never the less beautiful about the weathered wrinkled elder, the seasons have left their mark upon and then the beauty of youth in its energetic vitality and radiance. A celebration of being, all forms of being in and of themselves their beauty means nothing but only through the experience does it resonate with a conscious subject and evokes awe! Yes, this is so beautiful it is life fortifying it is ordered energy vitality functionality simplicity it is pleasure, a snapshot of a moment in being caught before the beauty fades as its surroundings regenerates the world aknew.
Iwannaplato
Posts: 6591
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:55 pm

Re: Beauty: absolute or comparative?

Post by Iwannaplato »

Philosophy Explorer wrote: Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:50 pm I believe that beauty is comparative. This helps to account for changing fashions, music, art, etc.

What do you think?

PhilX
I think changing fashions has to do with getting money. I am not referring to the fact that people come up with new fashions in the scattered way of creative processes. But that some things go out and the pressures to be in. The conscious propaganda telling people that X which was ok, good, great last year is now bad and that one must be in, and that individuality is found through being near the crest of the wave of conformity and the use of celebrities, movies, magazines to promote this beauty over what was promoted previously as beauty but now isn't (until it can come back profitably as vintage or retro is about money. More or less the way planned obsolescence with, say, iphones is a way to make money.
Post Reply