Term Paper on "Beauty From the Earliest Times"

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[EXCERPT] . . . .

Beauty

From the earliest times, indeed from the times when primitive communication among humans held the ability to describe the things around them, the concept of beauty, if not the word itself, has likely existed; perhaps the bright blue sky or fragrant flowers sparked in the mind of primitive humans the realization that some things were just more desirable to the senses than others. While these simple examples are apparent enough, over time, the concept of beauty has become much more abstract. This essay will discuss the concept of beauty in more detail, from several points-of-view.

Is Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder?

An adage, whose originator is lost to the ages, once said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder- a catchy platitude to be sure, but it also raises the question as to whether the adage is true, and if not, are there objective criteria for the evaluation of beauty.

To be sure, there are some things that are considered the very embodiment of beauty within nature, whether it be the aforementioned blueness of the sky or the flowers and the trees- the handiwork of nature can usually be universally agreed to hold some element of beauty to one extent or another; likewise, there are attributes of the human form which would be universally accepted as being beautiful, which is to say that they possess elements of beauty (Lane). Beauty, it can be said, is something which occurs as a by-product of nature. In this case, one could say that beauty is objective, for few logical people would argue that some level of beauty exists in the calm of a spring morning or the calming effect of a late night snowfall in the woods. Howe

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ver, there are some levels of beauty that are more subjective, such as can be found in the artistic community; as an example, an abstract painting may be too complex for most people to comprehend, but found to be beautiful by only the smallest minority (Burke). This case is more indicative of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

Just as there are varying perceptions of beauty in the world, so too, outside influences can skew the perception of beauty for good or bad, which merits additional discussion and consideration.

Can Outside Influences Skew Our Perception of Beauty-for Good or Bad?

If the earliest recognitions of beauty were strictly hatched in the deepest recesses of the human mind, in time, outside influences surely began to skew the perception of beauty for better or for worse. One of the factors that may very well have created some skewing of the concepts of beauty came out of the realization of the presence of good and evil, sin and redemption, in the natural world (Gimlin).

As ancient religions began to develop, and with them the implied sense of morality among people, as well as the concepts of free will and the ability of the human being to do good or bad, and the associated benefits and consequences of same, indeed beauty was attached to those things that are good- such as the concept of angels robed in white in the Christian tradition, or conversely, the lack of beauty or even ugliness attached to those things thought to be sinful or evil- such as the universal interpretation… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Beauty From the Earliest Times" Assignment:

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Is there an objective criterion for beauty or is it in the eye of the beholder? What kinds of outside influences skew our perception of beauty? Are these influences good or bad? Can morality be attached to beauty?

When writing, please include what the *****'s personal opinion is on the topic (the entire paper shouldn't be researched, it should be somewhat half and half). Also, the book our class uses is called: Philosophy: A New Introduction by Douglas Mann and D. Elijah Dann. *****

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