How Does One Teach Aesthetics?

That is not a question. It is a lament. The appreciation of beauty is something which I cannot explain. When I see something, I know it is beautiful. Or not. It is something innate. Sometimes I could find within myself some reasons for explaining why I think something is beautiful, and I think I am slowly training myself in that. But some other things, I know they are just beautiful, but I find it hard to put into words or find exact reasons for it. Here arises a question: Can beauty exist apart from reason? I mentioned it is innate. But then what is innate can also be sinful and warped. What appears as beauty to me could be perversion, because to a fallen being, perversion could be beautiful. Nevertheless I believe there ought to be some guidelines in appreciating beauty. I believe there is both an objective and subjective in beauty. Objective, as in something like, the exhibition of truth and ethics in a beautiful thing i.e. there should be something about beauty that applies as a universal law for all rational beings. I postulated truth and ethics. I do not think that beauty is purely subjective at this moment. Subjective, as in our degree of appreciation in different aspects of culture, be it the arts, literature, music etc which differs from one individual to another such that there is truly such a thing as freedom of aesthetics. Thus the objective facts of beauty allows all rational beings to recognise that beauty and yet at the same time beauty admits of degrees in appreciation in all its myriads of manifestations by different individuals living in different cultures and eras.

And I am killing my brain cells to find out how exactly to teach aesthetics, if it is possible to do so. The Bible seems to say nothing, and yet say a lot of things on aesthetics.

I wish things were much simpler. Be an escapist again. For example, I can explain beauty simply as:

"Beauty is this...." And then proceed to show them a picture of Miss Song....



If only things were so simple.