What is it that qualifies an object (or person) as "beautiful"?
Please discuss fully and use examples.
2007-07-12 05:29:06 · 13 answers · asked by Austin W 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Thank you for your interesting comments so far. Do you think that beauty might have a quality of strangeness?
2007-07-12 06:15:25 · update #1
Beauty is the realization of the transcendentals of goodness and truth is a form that can be apprehended by the intellect and experienced by the senses. The experience of the beautiful is therefore profound, sublime, akin to an epiphany of sorts. A fantastic literary example of this experience is expressed by James Joyce in his book "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." when the author describes seeing for the first time the woman who would later become his wife.
Something that is pretty is merely pleasing to the senses, but there is nothing that makes the object or subject that is identified as pretty all that important or memorable in an ultimate sense. What is pleasing to the senses in terms of something that is pretty remains on the surface and is superficial. One would never describe the pretty as profound or sublime-- this does not mean that it is worthless or meaningless, it just simply lacks the gravitas associated with the truly beautiful. An example? Hallmark cards can be pretty.
2007-07-12 05:43:06 · answer #1 · answered by Timaeus 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Something that is pretty is something that is Fleeting. I can walk by something and see it and think "wow, thats pretty". It caught my attention for a moment. I looked at it and walked on and later I don't even remember it all that much,
If I see something or experience a feeling or event and say "wow, that's beautiful". It is something that I explored and put into my memory banks and therefore you could say I put it in my heart or soul. It is something that made an impression on me in a more than surface level. I almost became part of it in a way. I see it and at the same time I FEEL it and sense it as much as possible. To me, that is what BEAUTIFUL is. It is a word that describes further attachments to the thing whatever it is. Maybe that further attachment is just a memory but still it was worth recording. :)
2007-07-12 13:00:42 · answer #2 · answered by CrystalChaser 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Pretty" is easy on the eye - a pretty girl,a pretty flower. Beauty is some thing deeper. Beauty in Nature can be stark or grand, like the Lake District, the Rocky Mountains. Beauty in a woman is timeless. Look at Sophia Loren.
Pretty can also have a suggestion of superficiality - a pretty little tune; don't worry ur pretty head about that. Hope this helps.
2007-07-12 12:38:58 · answer #3 · answered by SKCave 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think the words "pretty" and "beautiful" reflect the same characteristics, but on differing levels, with "beautiful" being the deeper of the two.
If I look at a flower and say "that's pretty" it indicates that I find the flower to have appealing physical features and sparks some sort of a "feel-good" emotion; whereas, if I look at a sunset and say "that's beautiful" that indicates that appearance of the sunset is beyond simply "pretty" as it evokes some sort of significant emotion, whether it be happiness, sadness, joy, etc...
2007-07-12 12:36:23 · answer #4 · answered by mywifeisbetterthanyours 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, pretty is something that catches your eye as you pass by, but may soon forget. Beautiful is something that catches your eye and continues to captivate long after the person is gone. In the moment, pretty is pleasant to look at, but beautiful is enigmatic and difficult to look away from. A pretty woman may have delicate and symmetrical features that all work in balance, but no one feature stands out or is exceptional. A beautiful woman has an intriguing look that may not necessarily be a "traditional" beauty, but rather has something that stands out. Her overall appearance is complicated and makes you want to look deeper, longer, and harder; you may not be able to exactly pinpoint what it is about her that makes her so beautiful, but there are definitely certain aspects that are breathtaking----perhaps alluring eyes or glowing skin.
I must also note that pretty can be strictly aesthetic, but beauty can encompass the aesthetic and the persona.
2007-07-12 12:44:16 · answer #5 · answered by Heart of Fire 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pretty is the diminutive of beautiful. Beauty is art.
All art consists of two things Elements and principles.
Elements
color, value, line, shape, form, texture and space
Principles
balance, contrast, proportion, pattern, rhythm, unity, and variety.
Beauty is the combination of the these that one finds pleasing to the senses regardless how "strange" it might appear to others.
2007-07-12 13:06:25 · answer #6 · answered by Sophist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
pretty is on the surface whereas beauty touches the soul.
in response: sure beauty can have that element of strangeness like the beauty in a lion making a kill, or the silence of the morning after a fire or a flood.
2007-07-12 12:36:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The eye of the beholder depending on what is seen. Pretty is usually a surface thing. Beauty usually comes from within and touches your soul. Blessings on you.
2007-07-12 13:02:27 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pretty is superficial. Beauty is much deeper, and is improperly used quite often. People can look pretty, especially with clothes and makeup, yet be ugly inside.
2007-07-12 14:36:19 · answer #9 · answered by phil8656 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No examples needed. It's all in the eye of the beholder!
God's Speed and Grace,
Nancy
2007-07-12 12:37:24 · answer #10 · answered by Nancy E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋