Tuesday, May 7, 2013

A philosophical reflection

My term paper for Medieval Philosophy:
Love and Beauty
            From the pastel colors of a glistening rainbow to the pudgy, dimpled smile of a toddler, the world is full of physical beauty. While there are individual tastes, shaped by culture, upbringing, or education, man as a whole seems recognize this beauty by some unspoken, universal standard which draws forth a certain level of admiration and attraction. Along with physical beauty there is also interior beauty, which can be more difficult to see, but which further illuminates physical beauty. The Neo-Platonist philosopher, Plotinus, wrote of both as reflections of the Creator that touch and purify the human soul, helping it to become more beautiful in its recognition of beauty. This process, in which man is first attracted by beauty, then transformed by it until he himself is beautiful, directly correlates with a human relationship and the development of true love, and is further a reflection of and connection to the love emanating from the Divine, who Plotinus says is pure Love itself. Thus, by understanding Plotinus’s concept of beauty, one finds that love and its true meaning originate in attraction to beauty and the purification of the soul through further exposure to it.

What is Beauty?
Beauty has been defined in various ways by many through the centuries but it can essentially be broken down into two categories: external and internal. The first is seen in the human body and the rest of physical creation, while the second, more difficult to pinpoint, lies in the spiritual, often referring to a person’s disposition, heart, or soul. While exterior beauty, aside from various differences of personal opinion, is widely accepted, internal beauty holds a far less prominent value in society. For example, when a rosebud blooms on a bush, many find it aesthetically pleasing, but when an old woman with a shrill voice sings loudly in church, most fail to view this as attractive. The beauty of the latter instance lies in the meaning rather than the appearance. It cannot be physically encountered, but rather can only be “seen” through the knowledge that the woman is pouring out love into a song for the savior she worships. This expression is internally beautiful because it characterizes the woman’s spiritual existence, just as when one does an act of kindness it can be considered beautiful because it represents the kindness within one’s soul. The difference between internal and external beauty, therefore, lies in the perceptive ability of the viewer.
            Among the many theories of beauty, one that values internal beauty far above external, is that of the Greek philosopher Plotinus. As a Neo-Platonist, Plotinus holds Plato’s views of the existence of the One as “the source of the whole.” He writes that the One is pure love, supplying life, intelligence, and beauty to lesser beings who reflect this overflow of the One like mirrors reflecting a light.[1] In this way, Plotinus believes the One gives form to matter, making it beautiful. Plotinus gives the example of a sculpture shaping a statue to explain the formation of matter. The unworked stone, says Plotinus is not nearly as beautiful as the shaped statue, because the beauty lies in the life form represented by the statue.[2] Similarly, even the statue cannot embody life as a human being can and is thus less beautiful than a human being. Indeed, a work of art is dead without a subject to embody and a painter to give it form, just as matter is dead without the beauty of form given it by the One.[3] In this way, Plotinus reasons that beauty is a connection between the earthly and the divine: a vestige of the One’s own being, stamped upon creation.

The Relation of Beauty to Man
            The way man sees beauty is wholly dependent on his openness to it. Although it is true that many are able to recognize the beauty of a supermodel, fewer find a pregnant woman beautiful. Still fewer notice beauty in an elderly woman. This is because man is most attuned to what Plotinus terms “sensible beauty.” Sensible beauty is the perception of the aforementioned external beauty as a unity of form, not merely an arrangement of parts, and is brought about by direct experience rather than meditation.[4]This does not mean that man perceives all physical forms beautiful but rather those which he believes to be the most unified, the most perfect. With this mindset, man prefers the flawless skin of a normal healthy baby to one born with a large birth mark on its face. Likewise, the chiseled body of an athlete is often socially admired above the weak limbs of one inclined to the arts or to study. Though the definition of physical attractiveness may change with the fashion of the time and the culture, its basic foundation lies in what the public perceives to be unblemished perfection.
            Known to a smaller portion of mankind, is what Plotinus terms “invisible beauty:” that which is discovered through extensive use of the intellect and which is often the source of a person’s internal beauty. When compared to intellectual invisible beauty, sensible beauty is a mere shadow because while invisible beauty is harder to “see,” it is a degree closer to union with the One.[5]Plotinus explains this deeper connection with the Divine by saying that in the One, “the qualities of beauty and goodness are the same;”[6]therefore, all that is good, by necessity, is also beautiful. The goodness and beauty of the intellect lies within the soul of a being, which is why human beings, as possessing higher souls than plants or animals, are the most beautiful creatures on earth and therefore related most closely to the Divine. Despite the difficulty involved in its perception due to strenuous effort on the part of the intellect, invisible beauty produces feelings of wonder, longing, passion and joy, because one who comes into mental contact with this striking beauty of the Divine must realize that it truly exists.[7] As Gustavo Perez says in his essay on Plotinus’s theory of beauty in relation to art, beauty forms and encourages the soul’s ascendance to the One.[8] Similarly, Ota Gál, in his exposition of Plotinus’s theory of beauty, says that to attain beauty through the intellect is to contemplate it in relation to the One.[9]
            Since beauty, as a connection with the One, is goodness itself, the soul gains beauty when it gains goodness. It is clear then, that to obtain goodness and beauty is to become like the Divine.[10]The beautiful soul is characterized by a righteous life, courage, dignity, modesty, and a pure morality that comes from the illumination of the Divine intellect.[11] Furthermore, it delights in seeking after virtue and goodness because these are the fulfillment of its identity as an image of the Divine. Such values are particularly exemplified in a person like Mother Theresa. In spite of a face deeply etched with the sorrows and joys of her past and a body stooped from years of hard work, the tiny nun attracted even non-religious people, and while some may not have used the word beautiful, they found the life that filled her small frame infectious. She is, though many do not understand the full significance of it, an example of a beautiful soul. Not all souls turn towards this light as Mother Theresa's, however, and Plotinus describes the ugly soul as one that has focused its efforts on obtaining objects of sense. This dilution of beauty by seeking primarily the body and matter drags the ugly soul in every direction as it searches for false beauty in increasingly dimmer reflections of the ultimate beauty of the One. Even the most physically beautiful being can have an ugly soul. Lucifer himself was once the most beautiful of creations, but his pride led him away from communion with God and into evil. The ugly soul is characterized by addictions to the material and bodily which distract the soul’s essence, the intellect[12] and communion with the One.
            Every man has an element of ugliness to his soul by very nature of his humanity, but no matter how far the ugly soul strays from the joys of the intellect, it can always return, wiping away the grime of material focus to uncover the beauty beneath.[13]Plotinus calls for the development of the intellect in order to purify the soul and bring it to greater depths of beauty but explains that training oneself to see beauty is a strenuous discipline. While some recognition of bodily beauty comes naturally to man, it is much harder to focus the intellect on the perception of invisible beauty because it involves disciplining the mind to see that which is not naturally seen and to persevere through education and mental exertion. It is necessary, however, that man focus his efforts on training his intellect because such growth unites the soul to a higher reality and realizes its full potential as a creation and image of the One. When the soul becomes beautiful in this way it achieves a better understanding of reality and an increased perception of beauty, including sensible beauty.[14] Thus, the man’s relation to beauty comes in full circle: First, he is attracted by sensible beauty, so he pursues it and discovers invisible beauty; next, he strives to train his intellect to see invisible beauty more clearly in order to journey nearer to the One; and finally, made beautiful by his ability to perceive invisible beauty in creation and the intellect, man will also be able to see sensible beauty in a new light everywhere he turns. Plotinus adds that those passionately in love with the invisible will have trained their inner eye to see the beauty of structure and form, thus grasping the significance of its existence and the value of life.[15] Without relation to an intelligible being, the body has no substance, but with an intellectualized, metaphysical understanding of the universe, one can come to see the beauty that exists within creation and in recognize its existence as a reflection of and relation to the Divine.

The Connection between Love and Beauty
            Whether it is sensible or invisible, when man encounters beauty, he experiences an immediate attraction. This is easily demonstrated in the physical realm, where most can easily recognize beauty. When one spends time with a person who is wearing a pleasant-smelling cologne, for instance, there is an immediate inclination, however slight, to draw nearer or remain in the company of that person. The aroma brings pleasure to the senses and thus delights the body with its sensible beauty. In contrast, when one is placed in the company of someone who smells unpleasant, the first impulse is to plug one’s nose, or try to avoid breathing in the stench, seeking instead, fresh clean air. In this way, it is easy to see the way in which man superficially loves and pursues beauty. With the discovery of invisible beauty, man also develops an attraction to the deeper and more meaningful beauty of the intellect. Plotinus describes this attraction as one spurred on by a longing for beauty, inspired by an original encounter with “one beautiful body”[16] Once man has encountered beauty, particularly intellectually, a hunger is awakened in him to seek out more. For example, if a song evokes emotion and positive memories that one finds beautiful, one will replay the song to seek out those memories once more. The beauty captivates and attracts man, evoking love, and inspiring him to pursue it.
            This attraction to beauty is illustrated on tangible level in human relationships. When a man and woman first meet, sometimes there is an instant feeling of attraction that many refer to as ‘love at first sight.’ At this stage, the beginning of love, the attraction is primarily sensible, based on physical, visual and auditory appearances. For example, the man might be attracted to the woman’s smile, her petite figure, her long, flowing hair, the rich tone of her laugh. The woman, for part, might like the man’s granite-green eyes, the way she has to look up to see into them, and the deep, reassuring feel of his voice. There may also be some recognition of invisible beauty, in the way the couple’s personalities click, the things they have in common, and maybe even the discussion of their ideals, but the understanding of the invisible can only go so far at this stage because each is putting their ‘best foot forward,’ and the depth of their souls cannot be contained in a mere first encounter, however successful. This initial attraction within a relationship directly correlates with man’s initial attraction to sensible beauty in all forms; It comes naturally and easily as if he were pre-programed to recognize the beauty and respond with admiration because that recognition is a remnant of man’s connection with the true beauty of the Divine.
            Initial attraction within a relationship, if strong enough, next leads to the development of deeper feelings. The couple moves on from occasional, thrilling yet nervous encounters and conversations to a more structured relationship. They begin to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, at first as a kind of intriguing game, but eventually in order to avoid conflict of wills. As the initial excitement and newness of their friendship dies down, it becomes more of a choice to continue in the relationship. This is the stage at which sacrifice is required on the part of both. Because this part of the relationship can stretch anywhere from when the couple is dating to later on in marriage, it contains varying challenges to overcome, but the main focus is learning to see the invisible beauty of the other person. For instance, though a husband may like to rise early, his wife might prefer to stay up late and sleep in. He may become frustrated by an unclean house, while she might be artistic and impulsive, leaving a trail of unfinished projects in each room. Where the excitement and feelings of sensible attraction once masked the ugly parts of the person’s soul, now they are exposed by familiarity and the frailty of human nature. To solve these problems, compromises must be made. She must learn to appreciate his structured lifestyle as a steady force in her life, while he must allow her dreams to add color to his. It becomes a matter of discipline and growth: in effect, the same challenge presented by the training of the intellect. They must participate in the search for beauty, finding and appreciating the good parts of each other’s souls.
            Eventually, through unselfish dedication by each to see the beauty of the other, they will bring out the purification of their own souls. In their search for beauty, they will become beautiful themselves and as a result, open themselves to be able to see increased beauty in both the physical and the spiritual. This is love in which a husband and wife give unconditionally and discover the intrinsic value of the other person’s life. In helping one another, they help themselves to recognize true beauty and thus achieve true love; for as initial attraction to beauty evokes the beginnings of love, so the perfection of beauty because love perfected. Ultimately, the participants will come to realize as Plotinus did that the origin of love is the longing for beauty itself[17] and that the search for love is a search for the beauty of the One imprinted in the life of every human being. In short, with the spiritual consummation of their love, spurring each other’s souls on to perfection, the couple rises to experience pure beauty and love in union with the One.
            In conclusion, by an examination of the meaning of beauty in the writings of Plotinus, one discovers the purification of the soul through true love, which originates and develops through exposure to beauty. Illustrated by the concept of a loving marital relationship, the process of one’s first attraction to beauty, transformed by the development of the intellect into true love and recognition of invisible beauty, demonstrates the connection between love and beauty and the way in which man’s soul is made beautiful as a reflection of the perfect One. In this purification the soul is opened to the abounding beauty of life itself, not only in the rainbow or the toddlers smile, but in the elderly woman’s jubilant song and the lanky scholar’s perceptive wit. For, as the historical scholar Margaret Miles once paraphrased Plotinus, “To perceive beauty is to experience the universe as a gift.”[18]




            [1] Margaret R. Miles, "Beauty: The Stepping Stone." Plotinus on Body and Beauty: Society, Philosophy, and Religion in Third-century Rome. (Oxford, UK: Blackwell,1999) 35.
                [2]  font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ota Gál, "'Unitas Multiplex' as the Basis of Plotinus' Conception of Beauty: An Interpretation of 'Ennead' V.8." (Estetika: The Central European Journal of Aesthetics 4th ser. 48: Philosopher's Index. Web. 4 May, 2013) 178-179.
                [3] font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gustavo G. Perez,. "Plotinus and Contemporary Art: Are, Beauty and the Unifying Power of the Soul." (Universitas Philosophica 56 (2011):Philosopher's Index. Web. 3 May, 2013) 120.
                [4] Perez 121.
                [5] Miles 40.
                [6] Miles 41.
                [7] Miles 40.
                [8] Perez 111.
                [9] font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Gál 178.
                [10] Miles 41.
                [11] Miles 40.
                [12] Miles 41.
                [13] Miles 40.
                [14] Miles 39.
                [15] Miles 45.
                [16] Miles 55.
                [17] Miles 55.
                [18] Miles 34.

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