The Philosophy of Simone Weil Essays

" The holy work of god has to be attended to and if we are crushed and humbled to the very dust, as also laughing stocks to all who know us, we must be faithful and look for rest and peace only in heaven"

Silence is an important factor in life and can be encountered in different ways, silence can be seen as peace, harmony and can also be viewed as a negative effect such as depression, sadness or even as evil. Silence also gives time to reflect on life and society and when silence there is time to reflect on faith and religion, this would allow to decide on or question religion. When silence is demonstrated it implicates the importance of peace and the chance for revival.

Of such ultimate, such holiness of silence and peace that all on earth and within extremest remembrance seems suspended upon it in perfection as upon reflected water: and I feel that if I can by utter quietness succeed in not disturbing this silence, in not so much as touching this plain of water, I can tell you anything within the realm of God. (104)

Within this passage the central idea of “beauty” is developed by Crommelynck’s explanation of beauty and its application to art, and more specifically, poetry. Crommelynck’s description of the beauty develops the idea because it gives an understanding of how wide the scope is for something to be beautiful. She also explains that beauty cannot be created and how it instead resides in something which ties in with her view on truth in art. She believes that if an art form is truthful then beauty can reside in it. This develops on the concept of what beauty

Reference: Roger McMichaels. A Deeper Look at Beauty. New York: Graymark, 1995. The quoted material is taken from page

Firstly in the Holocaust nature was a great strength for people's spirits. In the diary entry, Document D, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, it says, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature, and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.” This means that nature is a great remedy for people. This also tells that Anne Frank, the author of this entry, is explaining the beauty and power and resilience of nature.

beauty before we can truly cherish other forms of beauty around us. "Two or three things

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

Aesthetics is defined as “the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful,the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc., as applicable to the fine arts,with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments”(Webster.) It is closely related to the philosophy of art, which determines how individual works are interpreted. Aesthetics not only examine the nature and value of art, but also examine the reaction that an individual or group has to such arts. As previously mentioned aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty and taste, the attractive and the none, the beautiful and the ugly. It can be difficult to categorize and match objects and expressions into those two broad categories because it is possible for one to observe aesthetics from different angles.

Plotinus begins by asking his audience to consider what beauty is. He offers the example of some things being beautiful by “the nature of the objects themselves,” and something instead are beautiful “by participation,” such as being virtuous (Plotinus 1). He prompts the audience to ask themselves whether beauty is sensory- since one may see or hear things they consider beautiful, what catches the attention of someone ultimately leading to a feeling of attraction to certain things (Plotinus 1)?

     They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As stated in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Poetic Principle," a concept of beauty can only be achieved through the use of emotion, an "excitement of the soul," a necessary element to any worthwhile poem (Poe 8). Poe's fascination with the mystery of death and the afterlife are often clearly rooted in his poems and provide a basis for himself and the reader to truly experience his concept of beauty. Although also a believer in portraying beauty through poetry, Ralph Waldo Emerson found beauty to be eminent in nature and all things created by the Oversoul. Beauty for Emerson is not an idea or unknown, it is visible all around him.

The works of two philosophers Machiavelli’s The Prince and Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy were revolutionary in terms of setting knowledge on new foundations. In the literary work The Prince Machiavelli details the guidelines that leaders should adhere to in order to maintain stability in their controlled lands by accurately summarizing the nature of humans as being ungrateful, vain, and selfish individuals. While Descartes in his work Meditations on First Philosophy ventures on a journey to decipher the relationship between his body and mind and what in actuality exists. Both philosophers embark on a journey to comprehend and uncover the truth.

The definition of beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty has negative and positive influences on mostly people. Beauty is described by the inside and outside of us. Due to beauty, our self-esteem has been hurt dramatically, especially towards girls. Beauty is not always about our outside looks but it’s about our inside personality also.

A commonly mistaken perception of beauty is its need to be aesthetically perfect, but this is not one of its true qualities. As stated

What is beauty? How do we decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of information telling us what is beautiful, but what fact is that information based on? The topic of beauty has been studied, analyzed and controversial for centuries. We all know the feeling you can have when you hear a beautiful song that brings joy to your heart, stand in a field of flowers that excites your eyes, or admire a face that is visually pleasing. As human beings, we are all drawn to beauty, but what is it that makes something beautiful? The controversial issue that surrounds beauty is that some believe that true beauty is defined by someone’s outer appearance, while others believe it is something that is experienced through a person’s