Avoiding Evil

1. Pressed Said,

   Well Jim, why don’t you start by explaining why you are beginning to think it is objective and not subjective? Do you believe that beauty is only what is percieved by another in the mind of each particular individual? Or is beauty something that simply exists? Or maybe everything contians some beauty. To be honest it isn’t something that I have really sat down and thought about. I am reminded of the statment that I always hear, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” which is a very subjective way to look at it. What do you think??

2. Big E Said,

   Human beauty according to God’s Word: Beauty is vain (Proverbs 31:30). Outer beauty is vain or empty because it can hide an ugly heart, and is of no consequence in eternity. Man focuses on the outward appearance, but God always looks at the heart (see 1 Samuel 16:7). Objective.

3. Christopher Said,

   Well, I think I will take the middle of the road here, and since Jim didn’t leave us with a definition of beauty, or “what kind” of beauty, I will just go with beauty that that attracts one human being to another in a physical sense. I think that there is an element of both in perceiving beauty (as described above). Studies are showing the people naturally tend to choose symmetrical faces as being more beautiful. Those who have time to waste such time in doing this kind of research suggest that the more symmetrical the body or face, some primal part of us perceives that as have better genetic material. In that respect beauty is objective. However, there is a point were personal preference comes into play. For example, after a certain someone who frequents this site discovered the “Are You Hot or Not” website he went and rated several (okay, lots) of people. On several occasions, the other guys in the room were questioning his ratings. Subjectively, this person was making judgments on other people’s behavior that I would have made differently (not that I engage in such activities, a-hem). Another example, someone out there thought that the Pontiac Aztec was a handsome vehicle because I see people who have bought them and are driving them around, I on the other hand think the Aztec is a horrid beast that has no aesthetic redeeming value, and would not be caught dead in one. So, I think that objectivity and subjectivity are intertwined so closely that it is difficult to tell where one starts and the other begins, they both play a role in determining beauty.

   (Big E, I thought you didn’t have time to look at these things, “a waste of time” or something like that. Thanks for stopping and commenting on my blog! )

4. Jim Shultz Said,

   Like love, I believe that beauty should have the same definition whether you are discussing it between a man and a woman or in nature or art. That is why I was so vague. I do apologize.

5. Bryan Said,

   I posted my thoughts (intelligent? that’s certainly subjective) over at my site.

   thanks for introducing the topic.

6. Michael Morgan Said,

   It is subjective. We had this conversation about the hot or not web site. That shows that it is subjective.

7. Rob Said,

   While Big E points to Proverbs to suggest that God proclaims “beauty is vain,” one of my favorite Bible passages is Solomon 7 which seems to celebrate beauty.

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