Questions About True Beauty

Beauty is widely defined as the aesthetic quality of certain objects, which makes these objects appealing to see. These objects include sunsets, landscapes, humans and great works of art. Beauty, along with taste and art, is the most important theme of aesthetics, among the major branches of psychology. According to some philosophers, beauty is defined as an ideal response to our psychological needs; beauty is the result of human effort and their ability to manipulate the physical world. Most psychologists believe that beauty is mainly subjective, while some others believe that it can be objectively measured.

The theories of aesthetics can be divided into two groups, those which attribute the beauty to a person and those which attribute it to the object. For the former, beauty is the result of the inner aspects of a person, his psychology, temperament and so on. In psychology, it is believed that beauty is based on these aspects. According to some other theories, beauty exists independent of personal traits and can be defined as the aesthetic experience experienced by all. However, these other theories also admit a certain amount of personal contribution in the definition of beauty.

According to the theories of aesthetics, certain aspects are necessary for a particular object to be considered beautiful. According to some theories, a particular object cannot be considered beautiful if its essential characteristic is not present. Similarly, a beautiful object cannot be defined as an object without its essential characteristics. An object’s presence or absence in an object is considered as its defining essential characteristic.

For example, a beautiful lady cannot be defined as beautiful if her face is wrinkled; a lady who has a beautiful face can be called beautiful even if she suffers from a skin disease. Another important factor that affects the definition of beauty is the emotional response that any beholder has towards beauty. Beauty is not just a physical factor; it is also a psychological one.

A person becomes beautiful after he/she experiences the beauty that is inherent in him/her. This is not possible for a person to become beautiful in the physical sense, as he/she does not exist physically. A person is beautiful only as he/she relates to other people and looks at himself/herself in the mirror. The idea of beauty therefore, can only be derived from other sources like culture and literature. A beautiful body is not a primary requisite for a beautiful mind.

According to some philosophers, beauty is only in the mind. We may worry about our appearance and still be considered beautiful if our inner beauty is not damaged. However, a beautiful body may also constitute a healthy mind. So the idea of beauty may be related to a healthy mind.