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November 26, 2005
Beauty
I never remember that anything beautiful, whether a man, a beast, a bird, or a plant, was ever shown, though it were to a hundred people, that they did not all immediately agree that it was beautiful, though some might have thought that it fell short of their expectation, or that other things were still finer. I believe no man thinks a goose to be more beautiful than a swan . . . .
Edmund Burke, On Taste.
When we look at the unity of the transcendentals, and compare [the] vision of view [of theologians of an earlier age] to our contemporary poverty concerning things beautiful, we are quickly and painfully aware that something has gone horribly wrong. Why would human beings seek to sunder the unity between the good and the beautiful, between the true and the real, between the beautiful and the true? Why would we want to call something that is ugly true? Why would we want to call something that is unreal beautiful? That is a symptom of a human sickness, and that sickness is sin.
Albert Mohler reflects on beauty in a recent talk. As Mohler states, beauty is mostly overlooked in these post-modern times, or it is relegated to mere opinion about aesthetic characteristics. To say something is beautiful is no longer a comment on a greater transcendental theme. However, as anybody who has reflected on the beauty of a sunrise, a rose blossom, a painting by Monet, or a child's laugh, knows, one is sometimes confronted with beauty that makes one think beyond our immediate circumstances and reflect on something greater. That, then, is when we are contemplating true beauty. Mohler centers this contemplation about greater beauty ultimately on contemplation about God, who is the true Platonic "form" of beauty. This, I think, makes a good deal of sense--to reflect on beauty is to reflect on greater truth. God is the greatest truth we can possibly contemplate. Thus, contemplation on beauty is contemplation on, at least in part, the nature and being of God. This is not to reduce God to beauty nor does it mean that reflection on beauty is solely contemplation of God. However, it is an argument that God's nature is reflected in all His creation and we should not be surprised that, when we contemplate the beauty of creation, we also contemplate in some way the Creator.
Posted by Mark at November 26, 2005 07:39 AM