Beauty and Love

Beauty can be a rather imaginary and arbitrary matter. «Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them», said David Hume in the eighteenth century. Scientists now confirm this: «There is not, external to us, hot or cold, but only different velocities of molecules; there aren’t sounds, callings, harmonies, but just variations in the pressure of the air; there aren’t colours, or light, just electro-magnetic waves», said H. Von Foerster.

Our concept of beauty may also be conventional and capricious, as is the modern cult of skinny models; or aberrant when mingled with the ostensive luxury of millionaires; or involve foolish preferences.  

We can also say that love passions, when based on beauty, are ephemeral and mostly illusory. «Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies», said John Donne.

And we can say that beauty isn’t all, and can be a secondary criterion: our old parents may be no more beautiful, but we love them; our sons may not be conventionally beautiful, but we love them.

But still we love the beautiful. We want the beautiful in our lives, in our houses, in our loves («Beauty is the lover’s gift», said William Congreve).

Beauty and love are intricate parts. «The lover knows much more about absolute good and universal beauty than any logician or theologian, unless the latter, too, be lovers in disguise», said Santayana. 

Yes. We love the beautiful, and we need it. It gives a greater meaning to our lives. «Only throughout the symbols of beauty can our poor spirits rise up from temporal things to eternal ones», said the Priest Suger, in the thirteenth century, commenting on music and artistic beauties.