Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter – John Keats ; Ode on a Grecian Urn
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. – Jesus Christ – Matthew 6:28-29 ESV
If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only way I know it. – Emily Dickinson ; letter to T. W. Higginson, 16 August 1870
Aesthetics is not often considered an aspect of modern philosophy today, but for the ancient Greeks, arguably the greatest of philosophers, beauty and harmony and grace are all vital aspects to philosophy and to the Truth. It is wondrous to consider that the Truth is beautiful and likewise that which is beautiful is true. Many of course tout the common adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is this actually correct when considering that beauty and truth are related? If beauty is subjective then is truth also subjective? We have already discussed at length how truth cannot by definition be subjective and likewise how post-modernism, which holds and uplifts this very false premise, is also categorically false. You can view this discussion here. Perhaps it is more accurate to rephrase this adage and say “preference is in the eye of the beholder,” because actual real beauty – this is a universal truth that touches to all mankind, stirs our soul, our passion, our bodies, and indeed can enlighten us and uplift us to heights and depths only the Good Lord Jesus Christ can realize.
It is interesting to consider, speaking of the Good Lord Jesus Christ, that when we imagine Jesus we do not consider Him as an ugly or deformed or decrepit man. Quite the contrary we see Him both in movies, books, and in our minds eye as tall, upright, whole, good looking enough, and pleasing to the eye. Why is this? Indeed often Jesus’ most common and widespread ministry was healing the deformed, the broken, the maimed. He continually restored physical bodies as well as their emotional and spiritual bodies, into a more beautiful, symmetrical, harmonious, and good state. He continually restored people to their complete and natural state – as such He is showing us that our natural state of being, the natural state of our physical body as well as all our other bodies, is beautiful, good, and true. That which is good and which functions fully is naturally a masterpiece of beauty, grace, and form. When we reside in Him and in the Truth of His Name, we are resplendent and gorgeous and divine. The Truth is indeed beautiful.
How do we know that the Truth is objectively beautiful and not just subjectively personal and particular? As mentioned already, some may object and say but I don’t find this or that thing beautiful while someone else does and so therefore it must be in the eye of the beholder – right??? Wrong. What you speak of is merely a preference. Some people find enjoyment in rap music others in classical music. Some people are attracted to one person while others are repulsed by that same person. Is this beauty? Of course it isn’t. This is merely a game of attractions, and Beauty, although it can be associated with attraction, and often is preferable to us, is not attraction or preference persay. Indeed there is a false aspect to beauty that is more accurately considered vanity or lust. Beauty is not these things but can easily be confused with them for vanity and lust often desire beautiful things. However unlike vanity and lust, Beauty does not impinge or infringe upon a particular. Beauty is harmonious, radiant, and composed. It is not desperate. It is true and one. Beauty is universally known and recognized. Beauty is that which overshadows or overrides a particular thing such that we recognize it as melodic, harmonious, gracious, and as such it resonates with us as the Truth and we find fulfillment through it accordingly. We do not feel a need to possess Beauty – beauty possess us. The Truth cannot be excluded from Beauty nor can Beauty exclude us or any other particular, and as such Beauty and Truth must involve themselves intimately within the particular, our everyday lives, the vistas and visions before us, our senses and experience. It thrills us and elevates us. It overpowers us, we surrender to it, and find bliss upon it. This beauty does not violate us nor do we violate another with it. Beauty is harmony and harmony has peacefulness upon it, and this peace is held steady and fast by the Truth. We are the truth. We are beautiful. Any philosophy that cannot comprehend or consider the ecstasy of a towering mountain, an open field, or a blooming flower is no philosophy at all. Beauty is vital to understanding and most especially to experiencing the Truth.
Beauty is a fact of our existence. In fact as a financial consideration much of our economy is based upon beauty. Whether it be the way people are portrayed or how ads are posted or how real estate is impacted, there is a marketing fact to the business of beauty. Properties with amazing views fetch higher prices precisely beacuse they gather more demand and money. Money indicates there is a universal factor at play within supply and demand markets for beauty. Beauty is quantifiable to an extent which is objective and measurable. The value of a beach front property, or a nice garden and fenced home, or a mountain retreat are all largely known and understood ; one may prefer one over another but all of them yield more value to more people universally.
Does beauty reside in particular places or things? Or can it be universalized and exist in all things? If we look economically we see that neighborhoods can swing from being highly priced and sought after to becoming very poor and undesirable. And often times many of the homes and streets themselves are the same or very similar. We can also see in our love relations how both men and women change and age over time. We may not look the same as we did 20 years ago to each other, but the beauty and the love and the truth of that love is still alive and flowing as much today if not more than ever before. Likewise that love can diminish, dry up, and crust over with each other as time passes. This all indicates to us that something is at play here greater than ourselves and beyond ourselves and any particular aspect of a thing. If a vista had the mountain in another spot would it still be just as beautiful and awe inspiring? Absolutely. Do the pyramids make every man wonder? Undoubtedly. Tourism is of course another economic indicator of just how universal beauty is for all of us. It is not subjective. The visitor logs to the Sistine Chapel or the pyramids or the beaches or ancient ruins all show us that things are objectively beautiful and resonate with us in deep and abiding universal ways. Beauty captivates us, we do not captivate beauty. Likewise the Truth directs us, we do not and cannot direct the Truth.
How does beauty relate within our metaphysics? In my view, beauty is a very practical guide and reference indicator that is more tangibly and measurably available to us in our everyday lives. We can cross reference ourselves and the truth we may or may not be residing in through our experience and relation to beauty. But ultimately what is beauty? It is not a particular thing like a woman or a man or a specific view of a beach or mountain or lake or anything else one can particularize. Beauty is epistemologically as elusive as the Truth and yet we have guide markers towards it. Almost by defintion beauty is not an intellectual exercise – it is not cerebral persay – but rather more physical. We know beauty within us deeply. Beauty is not understood intellectually, it is experienced viscerally. One may experience beauty through intellectual endeavors (I know I do), however it is actually a physical experience that is occuring through an intellectual idea, a mathematics equation, or a line of poetry for example. As my professor would say, “You have to feel the poem deep in your bones.” Likewise as Emily Dickinson states in the quote above, she knows she has read poetry when she has a physical experience with the lines. Beauty overpowers us and as the truth of beauty overcomes us we experience joy and wonder and excitement. Beauty elevates us and inspires us. When we look upon the truth we immediately see something beautiful. Something whole and complete and ordered. We seek for this order and completeness and we take pride in our own work and the work of others accordingly. The way a man builds a home, lays a foundation, or organizes electrical wires, for example, can all be done in a beautiful manner. Taking care is beautiful. As we care for each other we instill beauty all around us. When we love our neighbor we beautify them. Love is beauty. And as we so love one another so too does beauty and tenderness radiate out and touch to all in our range and domain. Love is truth is beauty is caring. And all of these qualities are the hallmark of the Logos – the Lord Jesus Christ embodied and alive – the living water so sweet and fresh upon our lips. He is with us as we are with Him, as we bear witness to the real and true beauty of His Name so too are we engulfed by Him, by His splendor and tenderness, a rapture carrying us to Him forevermore.