Beauty: In the Eye of the Beholder?

The ancient Romans used to say that “there is no disputing in matters of taste;” contemporary Americans say “don’t yuck my yum.” We all recognize the role that taste plays in human life, and that what’s boring to one person is fascinating to another, that a tv show loved by one is hated by another. But is all beauty subjective? Most of us draw a line somewhere between the beautiful and the ugly. Some things, we seem to think, are not merely a matter of taste, but something more like a matter of right and wrong. Many of us, for instance, think that violence and negativity, or art that glories them, are ugly, and that their ugliness is not just a matter of personal opinion. Likewise, beholding a beautiful mountain view seems more like an objective fact than a private opinion. How do these ideas interweave, and where do they matter? Are there limits to “whatever floats your boat?”

Host or Publisher St. Paul Lyceum