Thread: What is beauty?

The pursuit of beauty in human civilisation has created spectacular phenomena in our lives, such as those of fashions, arts and many others. Beauty is a common language for all human beings. Every single human being can sense beauty no matter what their culture or background. However, can we really explain what beauty is? So far, the most well known explanation is the "symmetry theory" but it fails to explain many beautiful things without symmetrical features. This intriguing topic has drawn much debate yet no convincing explanation has been delivered. The old saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", still holds its grip on people's minds and the mystery of beauty remains as illusive as ever.

In a philosophical sense, maybe we can't explain the concept of beauty because the word 'beauty' is simply wrong :wink:

People often come up with words which can mean many things, with different causes and effects. The word 'love' is another example: loving your partner means something different then loving humanity, or loving hamburgers :P In the same way 'beauty' can mean anything from a kind of abstract beauty (like symmetry in architecture or the beauty of a nearly perfect circle) or the abstract beauty of a beautiful mind or idea, to purely physical and sexual attraction. If we brake up the word 'beauty' to all it's different manifestations, it'll probibly be easier to understand how beauty works.

Beauty = 1:1.618

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

Beauty = 1:1.618

ah the Golden Proportion :-D old Leonardo Fibonacci found a diamond there

beauty is in the lookers eyes

Beauty is truth. Truth being: everything in it's true form. This, I guess, would bring up another question.

if thats so, why is some Beautyfull ppl nothing but a big fat lie?

Beauty is a combination of the following

Beauty is health.. if a person's skin is soft smooth without any roughness
Beauty is taste.. it's body and the form of it's face (everybody has their own demands)
Beauty is fertility.. curves on the right places and a sexy attitude
Beauty is personality.. it should about how your are like, what your think, and why.
Beauty is power.. sounds strange, but anyone with influence is instantly more desirable

anyone ad's??

Symmetry.

beuty is in the watchers eyes

I think that this discusion is a open and closed case. Zelos is 100% corect in this matter


Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Originally Posted by Pendragon

In a philosophical sense, maybe we can't explain the concept of beauty because the word 'beauty' is simply wrong :wink:

People often come up with words which can mean many things, with different causes and effects. The word 'love' is another example: loving your partner means something different then loving humanity, or loving hamburgers :P In the same way 'beauty' can mean anything from a kind of abstract beauty (like symmetry in architecture or the beauty of a nearly perfect circle) or the abstract beauty of a beautiful mind or idea, to purely physical and sexual attraction. If we brake up the word 'beauty' to all it's different manifestations, it'll probibly be easier to understand how beauty works.

Pendragon is right in his approach. But I think I have an answer to the myth "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder". For example when you look at the face of a beautiful woman what makes you think she is beautiful? I think it is because that's the kind of face you want to see. When I look at Charlize Theron I find her very very beautiful. But when I look at Paris Hilton I don't find anything of beauty. Now some people will tell you exactly the opposite. They will tell you that Paris Hilton is beautiful and Charlize Theron is not. I think its a matter of what you want to see. I want to see Charlize Theron because I like her movies. If you see what you want to see it is beautiful else not.

Personally I don't find any beauty in buildings and man made forms. But I find trees, birds and animals very beautiful. To me the countryside is beautiful than the city. For you it may be the exact opposite. Hence it is all a matter of what you want to see and what you do not want to see. Where you want to be and where you do not want to be.

Personally I don't find any beauty in buildings and man made forms. But I find trees, birds and animals very beautiful. To me the countryside is beautiful than the city. For you it may be the exact opposite. Hence it is all a matter of what you want to see and what you do not want to see. Where you want to be and where you do not want to be.[/quote]

But you are beholding the beauty of nature correct

Good to see that this discussion is still alive

There was a thread with the same name in social sciences. I actually like one of my posts there, so I'll just shamelessly quite myself then :wink:

Originally Posted by Pendragon

I think the recognition of beauty has much to do with positive associations. During everyday life people create associations with everything they see, some associations are stronger then others (and can be either positive or negative). I think especially those associations established during childhood are very important. Now when you see some person or object or feel or taste something, you'll get all those associations back which you ever attached to it, making your experience either pleasent or annoying. In case it's a purely visual experience (without feeling or tasting anything), you may call a pleasent experience 'beauty'.

Just my guess, but it would explain why 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder': everyone collects different associations during his/her lifetime, so some may experience something like a country cottage positively (they spent a vacation there or maybe tv advertisements gave them positive associations with it) while others may find it a horrible sight (could remind them of a bad youth in the poor countryside or so).

--
that thread is here btw, but let's limit ourselves to one thread instead of two.

Beauty is just mathematical elegenace and in correlation with the "Phi" proportions of symmetry. There is psychological research done that infants are attracted and more responsive to symmetricat things and humans naturally search for symmetry without even knowing it. That's why this is a plausible subject for defining beauty.

But, I gotta say, I agree with "Beauty is in the eyes of the Beholder".

Beauty is my Elizabeth.

Originally Posted by billco

Beauty is my Elizabeth.

That's either deeply and cryptically philosophical or offtopic :P

I am beauty, or am I thinking of narcissism. :?

Guys pls keep this discussion interesting. Read earlier posts and comment on them, or present your own idea's.

Originally Posted by Pendragon

Guys pls keep this discussion interesting. Read earlier posts and comment on them, or present your own idea's.

It can only be summed up by saying that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' - When we talk about 'the beauty of something' we are indicating that in our opinion it has an attractive feature. Almost everything can be considered beautiful by someone.

We all know what it is in our opinion.

Simply beauty is an attribute assigned by man to objects that add to his sense of wellbeing.

pretty much what has been said, to me beauty is what is asthetically attractive to the person viewing it, which is the same as the eye of the beholder

or to open it up a bit

eg beauty is in the eye/ear/nose/touch or taste of the beholder if beauty isn't just seen as a visual thing

which makes it something that is pleasing to the senses

My believes:

Beauty is something that has a certain effect on us. Everything we see, (art, other humans, animals, flowers etc.) , or can hear (music etc.) has a certain emotional effect on us. When this effect is the strongest and it gives us a remarkable feeling, we call it Beauty. This feeling can be a happy as well as a sad emotion and our state of mind is also on influence on or concept of beauty. When you feel happy, you find something that coincides with that happy feeling beautiful. And when you feel sad that works the other way round. So beauty is a very personal thing and yet some things are beautiful in everybody’s eyes.

Originally Posted by Artemis

My believes:

Beauty is something that has a certain effect on us. Everything we see, (art, other humans, animals, flowers etc.) , or can hear (music etc.) has a certain emotional effect on us. When this effect is the strongest and it gives us a remarkable feeling, we call it Beauty. This feeling can be a happy as well as a sad emotion and our state of mind is also on influence on or concept of beauty. When you feel happy, you find something that coincides with that happy feeling beautiful. And when you feel sad that works the other way round. So beauty is a very personal thing and yet some things are beautiful in everybody’s eyes.

true, the beauty in many peoples eyes has a lot to do with symmetry. remember some studies on pictures of people with symmetrical faces and they scored higher. also proportions also have something to do with it also. If you were symetrical with a huge nose you wouldnt be nessacerely(can never spell that )be beautiful to the masses

Shit I meant that for my girlfriend

'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'

I love this one! Nice.

Beaty is biologicly defined (geneticly) as things that shows good health.

no zelos... We are not jsut talking about people. We are talking about beauty.

Also, many unhealthy people are still beautiful. I think you have your tunnel vision glasses on. :P

Originally Posted by Zelos

Beaty is biologicly defined (geneticly) as things that shows good health.

'Beaty' might be but beauty is not, The color of trees may be beautiful because the leaves are dying, hardly good health!. The night sky is [to most] beautiful.

Perhaps you should get out more and see some of these things.

Originally Posted by billco

Originally Posted by Zelos

Beaty is biologicly defined (geneticly) as things that shows good health.

'Beaty' might be but beauty is not, The color of trees may be beautiful because the leaves are dying, hardly good health!. The night sky is [to most] beautiful.

Perhaps you should get out more and see some of these things.

do you know much about astronomy?, ive just brought my wife a telescope(that shes been after for ages) and getting into it myself. stunning views and suprising how much you can see with a modest'ish scope

Originally Posted by captaincaveman

Originally Posted by billco

Originally Posted by Zelos

Beaty is biologicly defined (geneticly) as things that shows good health.

'Beaty' might be but beauty is not, The color of trees may be beautiful because the leaves are dying, hardly good health!. The night sky is [to most] beautiful.

Perhaps you should get out more and see some of these things.

do you know much about astronomy?, ive just brought my wife a telescope(that shes been after for ages) and getting into it myself. stunning views and suprising how much you can see with a modest'ish scope

It's an interest of mine from many years ago, I have a scope but do not use it much these days.

just brought her an 8" newtonian reflector with dobsonian mount, just trying to find our way around at moment stars are dots that look bigger but obviouslt not thatmuch bigger but thats understandable, but its hard trying to find the nebula planets and galaxys at moment

Originally Posted by captaincaveman

just brought her an 8" newtonian reflector with dobsonian mount, just trying to find our way around at moment stars are dots that look bigger but obviouslt not thatmuch bigger but thats understandable, but its hard trying to find the nebula planets and galaxys at moment

Where are you on the earths surface? If in/near the UK you can find Andromeda the closest galaxy to our own - You will need to find the square of pegasus, then of the 'left' start move along two stars then up one then a little higher to the right and Bingo! First learn to find Polaris.
Get a star chart.

Originally Posted by billco

Originally Posted by captaincaveman

just brought her an 8" newtonian reflector with dobsonian mount, just trying to find our way around at moment stars are dots that look bigger but obviouslt not thatmuch bigger but thats understandable, but its hard trying to find the nebula planets and galaxys at moment

Where are you on the earths surface? If in/near the UK you can find Andromeda the closest galaxy to our own - You will need to find the square of pegasus, then of the 'left' start move along two stars then up one then a little higher to the right and Bingo! First learn to find Polaris.
Get a star chart.

year were in the uk out in the sticks, thanks the next clear night we will have a go, weve found polaris by using the two stars off the end of ursa major that line up with it.

thanks again, weve now got somewhere to aim at. weve been told to get a book called "turn left at orion" which is supposed to help for begineers

Originally Posted by captaincaveman

Originally Posted by billco

Originally Posted by captaincaveman

just brought her an 8" newtonian reflector with dobsonian mount, just trying to find our way around at moment stars are dots that look bigger but obviouslt not thatmuch bigger but thats understandable, but its hard trying to find the nebula planets and galaxys at moment

Where are you on the earths surface? If in/near the UK you can find Andromeda the closest galaxy to our own - You will need to find the square of pegasus, then of the 'left' start move along two stars then up one then a little higher to the right and Bingo! First learn to find Polaris.
Get a star chart.

year were in the uk out in the sticks, thanks the next clear night we will have a go, weve found polaris by using the two stars off the end of ursa major that line up with it.

thanks again, weve now got somewhere to aim at. weve been told to get a book called "turn left at orion" which is supposed to help for begineers

Right now get this, It's important! imagine polaris is the centre of a clock, a 24 hour clock, the two stars that point to Polaris are on the 1100hrs position. The numbers go round clockwise - That's Right ascension.
Look up any star planet etc and it will give you the RA position.

Declination is the angle (inn any direction) directly away from Polaris(this is at +90degs the celestial north pole.) at the top of the celestial sphere. follow round 90 degs then you get to zero, 180 around is -90 (which you can never see from the northern hemisphere. Orion is only worth looking at in the winter months.

Orion is between 5 and 6 oclock Right ascension.