Philosophical Writings

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

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Philosophical Writings
4.2. The role of Beauty, in all regards, becomes vitaliy important in to-days world. All the darkness can be made brightness through the experience of Beauty. In experience of Beauty we have a glimpse of the real world - the ‘noumena' as Kant says. We should also note that after 18th century Beauty' has been understood in a wider sense. Beauty and the experience of Beauty is no more limited to sensuous experience of material objects or person. People talking about art of living, emphasise to bring art in life to make it Beautiful. Beauty and love for Beauty is love for one of the intrinsic values from which somany other values spring. People often complain and criticise the modern life as unorganized and chaotic. Beauty has power to harmonise life, to balance it and making it attractive and joyful. Beauty, infact, not mere confined to art, it is uncircurnscribed and universal in nature. Ruskin said, “The new virtue which constitute a thing beautiful is a certain cosmic quality, or, a power to suggest relation to the whole world, and so lift the object out of a pitiful individuality...... All beauty points at identity."37
Indian philosophy, here becomes more meaningful in understanding the role and influence of Beauty on today's life. Beauty, according to Vedas and Upanishad, is Truth; and Beauty is Goodness. We have already touched this earlier, but here I want to say that a person or family or community or nation who strives for Beauty (Real and Pure) is infact striving for Truth and Goodness also. Beauty which is lost in the cheap, obscene advertisement on T.V. serene, beauty which is exhibited in the market for a selfish purpose of profitmaking, beauty which is lost and transformed into whiteness or fairness is certainly inferior and low. It is not Real and pure but vulgarised and valueless. If we want the life today to be improved, if want it to be loving and peaceful, we will have to understand, accept and live with Beauty - Beauty as a value integrated in our life. That is why the famous English poet Keats sang :
“Beauty Is truth, truth beauty, that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."