Philosophical Writings

Author(s): Hemant Shah
Publisher: Academy of Philosophy

Page 86

The Role of Beauty as a Value in Everyday Life
characteristics like (1) ascribed in both cases to external objects, (2) beauty becoming an objective quality in both, (3) the value of beauty in both cases, can be enjoyed by more than one person, and thus differs from other values. Both also have characteristics in which they differ. They are : (1) Art is man-made, product of man's creative ability. Where as Nature on the whole is not (2) Art expresses human feelings, desires and ideas to a much greater extent than Nature. (3) Beauty of Nature is necessarily pleasing, art may not be.” It has been concluded that the field of Beauty of Art, real and potential, is vaster than is usually supposed.
Prof. Friendrich Kainz, distinguishes three kinds, of Beauty : “They are (1) the neutral Comprehensive' and undiffentiated beauty of everyday life, (2) the beauty which is synonymous with the aesthetically valuable; and (3) the beauty which is a subdivision of the aesthetic. All these are common in certain characteristics, all are independent, self sufficient and value based."12 In his book, quoting Latze, he says, “Requisite to a complete human beauty is not only normal and perfect formatioin of the outward, but also the visible expression of ethical ideas as they govern human beings inwardly."13
If we consider the objects to which we attribute beauty then there will be “three distinct modes of this attribute, namely, (1) sensuous beauty (2) beauty of form, and (3) beauty, of meaning or expression.'14 Let us here speak something about the approach of the Indian philosophers who, according to modern scholars, have not troubled themselves with question of beauty. The probable explanation with regards to their neglect of beauty in art” is that its pursuit cannot, according to them, directly minister to the attainment of the final goal of life. Perhaps some among them thought that its pursuit might even tend to lead man away from that goal, in which case their attitude towards art would be like that of Plato towards the same.”l5
According to Indian aestheticians the beauty can be classified only as wordly and Divine. Wordly beauty is temporary and is through objects, it is sensuous and pleasure giving but of inferior