How Do We Define Beauty?
Natural selection has shaped the physical features of humans, but how do we determine what is beautiful? The concept of beauty is rooted in how we perceive the world. According to Alan Moore, an article in Management Today, “We experience the world in three different ways: qualitatively, objectively, and emotionally.” A person’s physical appearance affects their perception of the world. In fact, a study by Temkin and his team revealed that people who have positive emotional experiences are six times more likely to buy more products from a company and are ten times more likely to recommend the company to others.
The Renaissance also created a culture based on the concept of beauty, focusing on the harmonies of music and the movements of the planets. The Middle Ages had an almost romantic concept of beauty, recognizing that the most beautiful people were those who were most attractive. They believed that beauty was a part of the divine order, and they were therefore deserving of adoration. Some even believed that fairness was the definition of beauty.
The scientific approach to aesthetics has taken two forms. Psychological aesthetics uses experimental methods to examine the subjective experience of aesthetic objects and tries to derive laws of appreciation from a consensus of subject responses. Gustav Theodor Fechner, who first defined beauty in the 19th century, used the term omnium-gatherum when describing objects. However, later psychologists considered the objectivist-formalist connotations of the word unsatisfactory.
The scientific approach to aesthetics has two main branches. Firstly, psychological aesthetics applies experimental methods to visual and tactile experience and attempts to work out the laws of appreciation derived from the consensus of subject responses. Secondly, psychological aesthetics aims to identify the characteristics of human beauty and assess its significance. It has its roots in the philosophy of Gustav Theodor Fechner, a German philosopher. In this approach, the use of the term ‘beauty’ for objects was ruled out.
Another example of a new platform that emphasizes beauty is Dazed Beauty. The art-directed platform, which is run by Ben Ditto, is a digital magazine featuring a variety of topics from sexuality to extreme body modifications. In addition, it features the creative coders, who create works of art. It is an excellent resource for visual arts. The aesthetics of a piece of art is also important to the society.
Objectification of beauty began in the twentieth century when objects became gender-type-specific and idealized. Often, beauty was considered attractive because of its unique characteristics. Moreover, it appealed to the aesthetic senses of people. Ultimately, beauty was an important factor to the social structure of societies, and it continues to influence the development of society. Although the concept of beauty has evolved over the centuries, it is still an important element in the evaluation of a work.
