While twentieth-century thinkers wrestled with the concept of beauty, they were skeptical of its distractions. They wondered how beauty could reconcile itself to an age of wars, wastelands, and genocide. As Arthur Danto wrote in 1992, beauty became a political and moral problem. In this period of societal indignation, beauty was linked to capitalism, and its hedonistic expressions became objects of sabotage. The Dadaists planted urinals in art shows, while the Surrealists toreconstructed traditional poetic forms.
Alan Moore argues that beauty comes from a sense of purpose. In other words, a company with a strong sense of purpose can attract creative talent. This creates an environment that fosters better decision-making and leadership, which leads to greater engagement and well-being. For a company to be considered aesthetically beautiful, it must foster an environment that is both healthy and conducive to creativity. Beauty is subjective, so one should make sure to take the time to learn as much as possible about its culture.
The experience of beauty is not solely within the skull of the experiencer. It connects the observer to objects and to communities of appreciation. This is not an entirely new concept, but it does exemplify why the human mind is prone to respond in such a manner. In many ways, this is why most twentieth-century philosophers tended to leave it behind. They tended to view beauty as a cultural issue rather than an empirical one.
Politics have also had a profound influence on the concept of beauty. The political associations of beauty have become problematic over the past few centuries, particularly in relation to race and gender. They have been overlooked by early twentieth-century philosophy, the social justice movements, and other groups. So, how should we view beauty today? What is beauty? It is a social construct that shapes and influences our lives. It has shaped everything from what we look like to how we think about ourselves.
During the Renaissance, many people believed that beauty was related to numerical patterns. In mosques, Islamic texts, and interior design, the geometric patterns were interpreted as representations of God’s limitlessness. Beauty was seen as part of a divine order, and each element modeled a larger pattern of perfection. A similar idea was held in Christian tradition. However, the Christian tradition has also attempted to explain beauty as a creation of God, but it fails to explain how our experiences of beauty can influence our apprehension.
While Santayana’s treatment of beauty is the most widely-read account in English for some time, other theorists have been writing about it for a while. Kant and Hume were among the last to take on the question of what constitutes beauty. As a result, the concept of beauty has changed dramatically over time. Several theorists attempted to address the antinomy of taste. Ultimately, the nature of beauty is a matter of personal preference.