Abstract
This paper argues that Beauty is an objective feature of reality and that the dominant view that ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is incoherent. Our love of Beauty (like love itself) may be ultimately mysterious, nonetheless loving Beauty involves the desire to understand it. The paper proceeds by first critiquing the central arguments of proponents of the ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ (subjectivism) position; and then arguing that contemporary aesthetics (particularly in the visual arts) need to re-evaluate artworks in the context of a broad conception of Beauty and to integrate with the notion of natural Beauty. The second half of the paper explores some conditions that may help undergird an objectivist account of beauty. Finally, questions are raised about the role of pleasure, taste and comparative judgments of Beauty in regard to artworks.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1-19 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Volume | Series 5 |
| No. | 19 |
| Specialist publication | Professorial Lecture Series, Charles Darwin University |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2016 |