Two-hundred years ago, the subject of aesthetics was associated almost exclusively with beauty. In 1794, the German philosopher, Friedrich Schiller, put it perfectly: In the presence of beauty, reason and sense are in harmony, and it is only on account of this harmony that the beautiful has attraction for us.Continue Reading
“Of all modes of acquiring distinction, and, as it were, ‘getting the start of the majestic world,’ the most absurd as well as disgusting is that of setting aside the claims of others in the lump, and holding out our own particular excellence or pursuit as the only one worthContinue Reading
Things happen around us, and we react — often with emotion. Especially in crucial relationships, between friends, family, at work, and all through the human landscape — we react with emotion. But between the thing that happened (which we can usually agree on as a “fact”), and our emotional reaction,Continue Reading