Beauty stands along truth and goodness in the trilogy of Value Theory—the study of how, why, and to what degree humans find worth. And worth gives life meaning.
Above is Old Montreal. The lights, textures, materials—if the devil lies in the details, he or she sleeps blissfully here.
The whole of the place is enchanting because of its participation in sensorial experience—as a whole. The humblest of shops stand resolutely behind the importance of environment. Atmosphere does not generally fall to the bottom of what one does prior to opening day. It appears to loom quite near the top.
Whether so many lend credence to the significance of design because of an instinctual call to action, or because the bar has simply been raised around them, does not change the impression it makes. It's a good outcome no matter the source.
ˈbyü-tē defined: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit
When we stop counting beauty and intrigue among the necessities of life we accept a complacency unbecoming to those of us born from the odds of 1 in 400 trillion.
Beauty is the only of the value virtues allowed a wide latitude of subjectivity. We generally recognize someone else’s notion of beauty even if in contrast to our own. Often, it’s this conflicting aesthetic that shakes up our day for the better.
Immanuel Kant spoke to the notion of enjoyment as the result of pleasure arising from sensation. But for something to be beautiful it must additionally set a reflective contemplation into motion. Beauty is the convergence of perception, emotion and understanding. This is—lovely.
Those of us who flock to the shore, a high point at sunset, or to a place such as Old Montreal, understand the intrinsic importance and power of beauty. And we are in good company. This is the great majority of mankind that pushed through those initial odds.
To be truthful and good, and to create beauty—this is perhaps the least we can do with our jackpot existence.