The Philosophy of Beauty Five

No copyright infringement intended. Video uploaded under fair use act.

This program echoed my thoughts on beauty and society more completely than anything I've watched on TV before. It moved me, and made me feel a little better about the way I feel. Please watch if you're even remotely interested, I think it's a beautiful program.

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Philosopher Roger Scruton presents a provocative essay on the importance of beauty in the arts and in our lives. In the 20th century, Scruton argues, art, architecture and music turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into a spiritual desert. Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the centre of our civilisation.

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[MrPiccolop]

Yes, there's quite a few intellectuals who suggest a connoection between post-modernism and fascism but i have not read anough to confidently assert that. Still, i have come across some compelling cases... at least pertaining to ugliness, lovelessness in the post-modern age... hmmm, not sure...

[wyattwerp10]

This man reminds me very intimately why i'm Muslim.

[rickelmonoggin]

@samthelima I suppose the problem is that beauty is such an elusive concept and by failing to properly define it (a schoolboy error for a philosopher, I would have thought) it means that it is difficult to properly evaluate his other arguments which depend on it.

[rickelmonoggin]

@samthelima

You say that people still have an idea of what beauty is, but unfortunately you do not explain what that is. Nor does Roger Scruton. It is a shame that someone who is supposedly a philosopher produces a program that is so lightweight in terms of actual ideas, and so laden with slick presentation. When you get to the substance, Scruton simply states those works which happen to meet his approval, and those which dont', but he never explains why.

[samthelima]

@rickelmonoggin If the idea that we should create beautiful things is an old fashioned viewpoint, then yes, that's what I'm saying. People still have an idea of what beauty is, they can recognize it, but fewer and fewer of the professions which used to be involved in the creation of beautiful things (artists, architects, musicians, etc.), still claim that as a goal.

[rickelmonoggin]

@1776Matthew I agree that you're rather tiresome, but thankyou for conceding that I am not actually attempting to quote Scruton.

[1776Matthew]

@rickelmonoggin "when you break it down, he basically seems to think that beautiful=old; ugly=new"

No, that is just your (FAULTY) interpretation of what he said. Again, you admit:

"I am talking about my interpretation of what he says"

Therefore you are refuting YOUR OWN "interpretation" of Scruton's argument, hence my original statement:

"your dismissive quip about 'old stuff' is a bit of a straw-man."

Have the last word, my friend. This is tiresome.

[rickelmonoggin]

@1776Matthew Please try and pay attention to what I've actually said before criticising it. I haven't attributed any claim to Scruton. I am talking about my interpretation of what he says, and when you break it down, he basically seems to think that beautiful=old; ugly=new.

[1776Matthew]

@rickelmonoggin You're falsely attributing the claim "old=beautiful" to the presenter. (That claim is obviously absurd, incorrect, fallacious, and therefore easy to "knock down". Hence "straw-man". A lifeless, non-combative opponent that you set up for yourself to easily vanquish so you might appear more heroic, intelligent...)

You are basically putting words into the man's mouth that anyone can see are wrong, then refuting YOUR OWN interpretation of what he said, not what he actually said.

[rickelmonoggin]

@samthelima essentially what you are saying is that the idea of beauty what we used to have is better than the idea of beauty that we have now. In other words, old things are likely to be more beautiful than new things, apart from new things which are created with an old fashioned viewpoint. That's as close as 'old things are better' as you're likely to get.