So what is beauty? As far as cliches go, beauty ought to be in the eye of the beholder, right? We should recognize it when we see it. Ancient philosophers, such as Plato, examined beauty more as a moral equation, believing that what is beautiful is good. Poets equated it with something “more profound than truth itself” as stated by Anatole France.
The theory of “good” and bad is really not a matter of concern; we have our own particular views, so what can be bad may actually be good. This is only so with what we determine to be our own opinion of likes/dislikes. I believe God is the highest power, and knows what is “good” or not. Given this “good” is what helps us, and “bad” is what hinders us. I’m trying to present the revelatory explanation to the decisions of what we would do in both situations concerning the stories; utilitarianism handles the amount of happiness and distress our decisions create to make what matters.
AP English 12 In the preface of the novel Wilde suggests, “There is no moral or immoral book;” however, throughout the novel Wilde contradicts himself by creating characters that perform both moral and immoral acts. The entirety of the novel is intended to discover the relationship between beauty and morality; Dorian’s beauty displays both his good and bad side. His beauty is so superior to everything else in the world, that he is influenced to believe that beauty can purify his soul no matter what he does. The novel takes place during the aesthetic movement, the main focus was devotion to and pursuit of the beautiful; sensitivity to artistic beauty and refined taste. It is now of no question why it was so important to incorporate the relationship of beauty and morality into the novel, because not only was Dorian in search of eternal beauty, but also for his morality.
Intro: • I will evaluate that Barthes claim ‘the author is dead’ is correct, and in doing so will discuss the role of intention in responding to, and interpreting, works of art Define intention: • Intentionalism subscribes to the idea that an author creating an artwork has an intended message and intention to create a work of art. The value of this intention, and consequently the value of the author, can be evaluated through considering the intentions’ ability to construct/influence meaning for the responder when examining the artwork. Evaluation that Barthes claim ‘the author is dead’ is correct: • Intention has no role in helping us respond/interpret meaning of art. This is because intention certainly doesn’t reflect the meaning individual responders gain when responding to, and interpreting artworks. Therefore, the artist can be considered irrelevant to the meaning of the art, and the artwork itself.
“Compare and Contrast intuitionism and Emotivism” Both Intuitionism and Emotivism are meta-ethical concepts to explain the terms “good” and “bad” without being caught in the naturalistic fallacy described by GE Moore. Moore’s theory states that good cannot be categorised in any physical manner as theories – but instead “good” can not be defined in terms of anything but itself, and following this through to a moral theory we can conclude “that neither science nor religion can establish the basic principles of morality.” Intuitionism holds that there are objective moral truths, but rather than reasoning or deducing these truths, they are self evident to the “mature” mind. Moore contends that just as we know there is a world out there, we know objective moral truths – they are just common sense or intuition. These truths are universal and beyond human experience and reasoning, and from them we gain our sense of what is “good” and what is “bad”. Moore would say we can see these self evident truths when, in an argument, we are reduced to “it’s just wrong,” they require no further explanation, proof or justification.
Joseph Fletcher a theologian, who first articulated situation ethics through the bases of absolute love, agape. He believed that there are no universal moral rules because each case and situation is unique and therefore deserves a unique solution or approach. His ethical theory was based on the six fundamental principles; the first principle is that ‘love only is always good’ which is the belief that “Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely, love: nothing else at all.” This belief that nothing else has intrinsic values, allows flexibility of a moral decision. For example a lie isn’t intrinsically wrong; it’s wrong if it hurts someone but it can be right if it’s for the “best interests” of that person. This explains why Fletcher strongly disagrees with Intrinsic Fallacy which asserts that ‘good’ or ‘bad’ properties are in the actions e.g.
The best place to start is to examine the relationship between faith and art. But to do so definitions of both must be provided. For art the best definition, and the most universal, is that art is: A method of attempting to express something that cannot be expressed through different means, in a way that is beautiful and satisfying to the one that created it. Art expresses visually what cannot be expressed orally. Similarly very few if given the chance to ask an artist why he created what he did and what it means to him would be able to make sense of what he replies.
The only good thing is a good will that does what is logically the right thing to do. Natural Law Natural Law is often described as deontological because, in practice, it leads to a set of rules that people have a duty to follow. These rules are absolutist, because they know of no exception. For example, using contraception to prevent conception is absolutely wrong, regardless of consequences such as the spread of AIDS, unwanted pregnancies etc. However, Aquinas' Natural Law Theory says we should try to fulfil our God-given purpose.
In his essay, Clement Greenberg divides art into two category: avant-garde and kitsch. Avant garde is the "genuine" art that moves society forward. It manages to be genuine by avoiding such tasteless things as subject matter in favor of art that focuses on the very processes of art, the medium of art itself. However as a result of this genuine style, avant-garde artists are marginalized in the modern world.According to him the modern world is more interested in kitsch, which is characterized by its inauthenticity. He sees kitsch as an unreal experiance and a faked sensation.
Creative Essay: I died for Beauty Beauty is a large aspect of modern society. We are currently living in a superficial world that stresses the importance of beauty and image. Emily Dickinson’s poem I died for Beauty reflects this as the two people in the poem died for the values of beauty and truth. The word beauty is commonly defined as a person or thing that is beautiful or attractive, but I think beauty relates to those qualities beneath the surface; such as character and confidence. Truth, conversely, is defined as being true or real.