Ask a Philosopher logo

René Descartes

What is beauty?

What is beauty? It is a question that has been asked since the dawn of time, yet it remains elusive and difficult to define. Is it something that can be seen with the eyes, or felt with the heart? Is it something that can be measured, or is it something that is entirely subjective? The answer, of course, is that beauty is all of these things and more. Beauty, to me, is something that can be found in the everyday things of life. It is the smile of a child, the laughter of friends, the warmth of the sun, and the smell of freshly baked bread. It is the glimmer of a star in the night sky, the sound of a bird singing in the morning, and the sight of a beautiful flower in full bloom. Beauty is something that can be found in almost any moment, if one takes the time to look for it. Beauty, however, is also something that is entirely subjective. What one person may find beautiful, another may find ugly. It is an individual experience, and it is entirely up to the beholder to decide what beauty is. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder! So, to sum it all up, beauty is something that can be seen, felt, and experienced in everyday life. It is something that can be found in the most mundane moments, and something that is entirely subjective. Beauty is something that is unique to each person, and something that is ultimately up to the beholder to decide.