Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Podcast: What is Beauty?

Much of my professional research in the realm of the Middle Ages has tackled issues of beauty and aesthetics. Naturally, a good measure of the same ideas are bound to inform my appreciation of modern themes. The latter is what this podcast discusses.

Recorded at The Ohio State University. Tip of the hat to Paul for the editorial assistance.

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Friday, May 1, 2009

New Videocast: Beauty and Aesthetics















In this videocast I discuss the philosophical concept of beauty/aesthetics.

You can view the videocast here.

Feedback welcome.

P.S. The photograph you see here is a favorite of mine. It reads: "beauty geek."





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graph per http://www.nextnature.net/research/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/beauty_geek.jpg

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Beauty


Apparently one of my high-frequency cluster of lexemes is something that goes like this: 'beauty/aesthetics is never inconsequential.'
As it is the case more often than not, we tend to repeat that which we consider the most and spend much time masticating. Philosophically, the study of aesthetics is as fecund as it could be. But philosophy is not the only discipline where aesthetics enters with a splash. It is also a permanent inhabitant of literature, religion and so forth.

I just recorded two new episodes for both of my podcast series, Gendering the Media and De Amore and in both episodes I mention the concept of beauty from a philosophical as well as literary perspective. Obviously, our understanding of and attitudes towards beauty and aesthetics have shifted dramatically from the times of the Greeks, Romans, St. Augustine, Early Christianity and so on.

In earlier times, aesthetic beauty was code for inner goodness. The more beautiful a person, the better the soul/nature of that person. In this regard, the form was, in many ways, that which clarified the weight/importance of content.

Might I recommend this article from the Times which appears on today's issue?

A paragraph says:

"Are models perhaps the last silent film stars? A preview of “The Model as Muse” suggests they are. A model’s face on a magazine cover may sell fewer issues than that of the latest hot actress, but they are ultimately a lot more compelling to look at and this is because we hardly ever have to hear about their private lives or be burdened with their thoughts.

It cannot be accidental that Kate Moss, the most persuasive contemporary example of a model as an artistic catalyst, has assiduously guarded what she says throughout her career. Ms. Moss is no dummy. She knows that the basic requirement of her particular job is silence. A model is a muse to the precise extent that a model is mute."

Yes, a shift has definitely occurred but one thing is certain: aesthetics is so consequential.





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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Botox Makes One Happy?


Per a report on the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology via discovermagazine.com:

"People with Botox may be less vulnerable to the angry emotions of other people because they themselves can’t make angry or unhappy faces as easily. And because people with Botox can’t spread bad feelings to others via their expressions, people without Botox may be happier too."


Tip of the hat to mr for the pointer
graph per discovermagazne.com

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The Power of Mascara

This, well, it begged for attention.

"The anthropologist behind “Love Signals” says mascara on women attracts men because men have darker, more uniform complexions. So, “a pronounced contrast between the eye area and the skin is a symbol of femininity.”
via ny times