Beauty... what the heck is it anyway?

My mind started pondering this subject one day as we sat in a restaurant and I overheard a conversation between my wife and a young family member about whether or not she thought she was pretty. Her response was that she thought she was OK-ish. It came as somewhat of a shock to hear such a young girl already knowing her place in beauty-oriented society. That got me thinking. What is beauty and why are we so obsessed with it?

First of all, let’s look at this subject from a scientific point of view. All physical quantities of our three dimensional world have units of measure by which their values can be ascertained. For example, velocity is measured in meters per second, mass in grams and length in meters. So then, if it is so important to us, what is the unit of measure of this thing called beauty?

Of course the answer is that there is no way to measure it. It’s an interpretation of aesthetic characteristics, a perception of ‘what is though to be considered’. It’s a type of immeasurable abstract that exists only as an opinion, and an opinion is like an underarm. (It stinks when you raise it) In short, beauty is really in the eye of the beholder. That means that our opinions and interpretations are what in reality is at question here.

Consider this: Two people may be looking at the same object. One of them may be totally enthralled by what they see, while the other may be disinterested and unmoved altogether. One may marvel at the beauty they behold, while the other may be totally oblivious to it, or blatantly find it distasteful. What does that mean for the object observed? Does it mean that is or isn’t attractive? Is a sunset beautiful to look at, or is it not? The artist my well think so, but the overworked businessman may not. The painter and sculptor may find it inspiring enough to recapture it, dedicating time and effort in recreating it, while the untrained eye may simple look at it and look away again.

What about the perception of the beauty a person possesses? What makes a person beautiful, or not? We know there is no way to measure it. There is no measuring equipment that can be applied to calculate it. We know it is in the eye of the beholder, so the question isn’t whether it is beautiful or not, but rather to whom is it beautiful and to whom is it not? It is merely a perception and if it is simply the perception of a person, then what does it take to see it?

I am going to spend some time thinking it over, and in another post I’ll note down some of my thoughts regarding the attributes and values that makes us find the beauty in things, and more importantly in people.