Extra: The Induction of Goodness via Beauty

In our discussion insofar, we have substantially shown that the phenomenon of goodness is intimately related to the concept of meaning and value.  Yet, as we state in the chapter opening, and highlighted subsequently throughout this faculty, such a definition in itself is not complete. 

In actual fact, every transcendental (Truth, Goodness and Beauty) can be introduced in two general methods. The first and foremost method would be the method of top-down induction- or simply speaking for example, the introduction of truth using the theory of truth in Project RN (T). This method would probably involve us reasoning in circles to test out what is objectively true for the universe and for the self. In parts one to three we have borrowed heavily the arguments of truth as building blocks to build up our living best.

If we were to apply this method to our current introspection of goodness, then we may introduce goodness via acts of goodness alone. As we note that the nature of goodness is not one of theoretical reasoning, but rather one of valuation; naturally, should we introduce the top down nature of goodness, we would have to start from presumed acts of goodness, go about in circles, and test what is the objectively meaningful for the universe and for the self. We will be giving a detailed top-down induction of goodness in part six, so we will not be going into the details of the induction method for goodness for now.

 A second possible method of introspecting a transcendental would be the method of induction from parallel transcendentals.  As we currently understand truth, goodness and beauty to be the three primary transcendentals, it is thus possible to introspect, say: truth, from acts of goodness or from the appreciation of beauty. Similarly, it is equally possible to introspect the underlying principles of goodness from truthful analysis, or from the appreciation of the beautiful.

For the past few excerpts we have given a rather detailed (and hopefully truthful) analysis to aid our understanding of goodness.  Many concepts had been borrowed from our earlier discussion on truth and subsequently incorporated, in light of meaning, to another logical argument for goodness. Yet we know now that there is a third form of induction- one that requires fundamental concepts of the state of being, and from the inspection on what is beautiful, induce what is good.

It is curious to note that in Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, an induction of meaning from the introspection of the human being and the body was instituted through a series of about 273 lectures. It was objectively stated that ‘we would be able to understand God’s plan for love, reproduction and (the meaning of) life via the understanding and introspection of the physical body and the phenomenon of human sexuality’. In this respect the theory of Goodness may be successfully induced from beauty.

We will, of course, not attempt to crudely rehash such an elaborate theology into these three pages. A slightly more detailed address will be made on love, sexuality and goodness (meaning) in part 6, although further reading on the Theology of the Body is encouraged. What we will be noting today then would be a simple introduction to the theory of beauty, and a couple of fundamental tie-ins of beauty on goodness. As this excerpt is an informal introduction of beauty, we will not be vigorously elaborating any new concepts should they pass by.

As we recall the film: ‘The Matrix, Reloaded’, two contrasting postulates were given in lieu on the question of purpose and conviction of the human psyche. These two postulates are congruent to the induction of goodness via truth and beauty, and the first postulate is the theory of meaning from determinism and causality, as given most explicitly by the Frenchman. On the other hand, the second postulate, as Trinity believes, would be that what gives life meaning, or a person purpose would be his feelings, his experiences, and ultimately his will to believe.

From the moderation doctrine, it is not possible to convict the soul with mere logic and reason. Reason may lead one towards a norm of truth, but from this faculty that knowing about the existence of meaning is very different from living a life of meaning. We know that to live requires elements of being for before our lives may manifest. Similarly, we require ‘a state of being’ on top of ‘idealistic determinism’ to fully convict ourselves in heart and mind.

It is in this respect we would now like to focus our attention on the fundamental concepts of Beauty. Insofar, it can be taken for granted that our personal intuition for what is beautiful is elaborate. Our (layman’s) keenness in development towards what is beautiful (alone) would already more than suffice a series of philosophical lectures. In this post, therefore, we will not be stressing on the technical aspects of what is beautiful, but rather we will utilize this already-elaborate schema of beauty, redefine certain points of interest, and attempt to see how the beautiful may invoke meaning and conviction (a.k.a goodness) to life.

Interestingly, as much as beauty is to the eyes of the beholder, we all intuitively know a beautiful face when we see one. From these two simple and very familiar phrases we hear in life, we would have alluded the objective and subjective natures of beauty. Some of us may also have heard of the link between mathematics, geometry and beautiful (you may like to read further on the Golden Ration and Geometry). In essence, there is indeed a truthful construct towards what is objectively beautiful, and in the ancient times the Greeks have one after another attempted to re-define this logical proof for the beautiful. Much of their attempts to objectively reason out the beautiful had ended up in dead ends, particularly to psychological differences, and a different ‘taste’ to what is beautiful.

 This would lead us to the third primary concept of beauty- or what we would call the appreciation of beauty. A very simple act of indulgence in the arts, or even staring upon an aesthetically pleasing face in a magazine, may lead us to evoke a certain sense of ‘arousal’ and emotional wonder. The common idea of playing music to ‘create the ambience and mood’ would be a tap into our intellectual capacities for beauty to raise the qualia of any situation. We play music to evoke mood, and evoke mood to unify, coerce, or manifest will.

Similarly, the deep appreciation of natural beauty (in a form of sunrise, fields of green, or lapping waves) may have often led the proponent to exclaim the goodness of nature, of love (or even God); on the flipside, an exposure to what is sensory repulsive, or aesthetically unpleasing, may lead one to generate negative emotions of detest and repulsion.  Do note that by now, the familiar concepts of love (union), repulsive (exclusive), goodness and will have been drawn into the equation again. These concepts have been proven across the board by psychological studies of human reactions towards varying states of beauty. The conclusions of these studies are unified: Man has an a priori to what is beautiful (apart to what is truth). Also, beauty does evoke a sense of goodness to man.

As we observe the objective and subjective natures of beauty, we may find them rather analogous to the objective and subjective natures of goodness we have introspected insofar. While what is beautiful alone remains no more than an empty shell, this scenario of empty beautiful is rarely isolated. Usually, beauty and goodness comes hand in hand, and if there ever be no meaning in the beautiful, our intuitions for what is good and beautiful would have (almost instantly) compel us to evoke a subjective assessment of its corresponding qualia. As far as we are concerned for now, we may assume that beauty itself is a value (and for ages men have associated it as such), and to be ‘good’ so as to speak, we then arrive at this layman’s intuition that we have to be correspondingly ‘beautiful’ in our actions. This would of course lead to the phenomenon of ugliness, where what is aesthetically unappealing may not be qualitatively depreciative; however we will not discuss in this issue for now, and reserve any other allusions to beauty to Project RN (T3).

It is from this almost-correspondent intuition of what is good and what is beautiful, highlighted in the past few paragraphs, where we may find the motivation to seek goodness from what is beautiful. As we return back to our discussion on the Matrix, we now see that the beauty of the experience of love, on top of the top down induction of goodness that compelled (convicted) our protagonists to seek their meaning in life to move away from the inevitability of determinism, exemplified through the logical proceedings of programming and computer logic.

It is imperative for us to integrate this allusion of goodness by beauty, with our earlier discussed goodness by truth, to the goodness by top down induction (which we will discuss in part six); can we fully appreciate the nature of goodness in full. As we leave our simplified address on goodness by beauty, it may be advisable for us to return back to both truth and goodness after we have substantially discussed all three theories. This way can we truly understand, uphold, and appreciate this transcendental triad that somehow has much to do to the living best that we speak of.