The Beauty and The Burke
“You are the most beautiful woman on earth.” Likely, not a completely truthful
statement. In fact, since beauty is objective and judged by set standards, that statement is most
likely wrong. However, it is not meant to hurt or degrade anyone. It simply illustrates how the
emotional attachments people create can obstruct the most obvious of facts and statements.
Edmund Burke wrote, A philosophical enquiry into the sublime and beautiful, to demonstrate the
difference between subjective and objective beauty. It endeavors to teach readers how easily
society ignores the truth to avoid hurting feelings. Burke’s argument is logically sound,
well-constructed, and parallels what the Bible says about beauty. Burke’s argument analyses a
beauty that is more than skin deep, is a beauty that comes from God, that all men subconsciously
seek.
Burke’s argument for objective beauty starts with the idea of taste. According to Burke,
Taste refers to the faculties of the mind which are affected or used to form judgements of arts
and aesthetics (14). Essentially, Burke uses Taste for that which humans find beautiful or
pleasing (14). Since most humans can agree that sweet is better than sour and that DaVinci art is
better than preschooler’s art, it is obvious that there are objective standards for judging what is
pleasurable. Burke espouses that there is a natural cause for pleasure, that enables all humans to
judge what the senses perceive. This natural cause should allow the senses to have a standard and
should be what society should regulate opinions to (Burke 17). Burke makes it clear that he
believes there is an objective standard for judging what the senses perceive and how to act based
upon that standard. However, no society agrees completely on what is beautiful, due to
difference in men’s tastes. This difference is not a difference in the standard however, it is a
difference in preference (Burke 22). All men would agree that a healthy person is more attractive
than a sickly person That is the objective standard. However, the difference in attraction between
a blonde and a brunette is a difference in preference. All these qualities are judged by an
objective standard. If they are the qualities that inspire love or similar passions, they are beauty
(Burke 73). Burke claims that beauty is not how fit something is, how proportionate, or how
perfect something is. Rather, he states that beauty is connected to virtues and the closeness to the
objective standard (Burke 89). Burke claims that each man is seeking the perfection of the
standard in the quest for beauty. Since most men would agree that a morally beautiful person is
more attractive, there is a standard for both physical and moral beauty.
This standard comes from the natural human inclination to seek perfection. But this
perfection is often misguided or misinterpreted. Humans seek beautiful women or the perfect
life, not realizing that the beauty they seek is the perfection of God. The desire that drives
humans to seek out beauty, is a subconscious desire to feel connected to God. Atheists also have
this desire for connection with God, they too seek beauty. However, instead of seeking beauty
from God, they try to create their own standards and judgments of what is right. With the idea of
objective beauty, there is the influence of God in the everyday world. The beauty of God, the
perfect Creator, is reflected by how humans judge art, other people, and ultimately all things.
Since all people are drawn to beauty, we have a better understanding of how God impacts us all
subconsciously. The ideal of beauty is important for all people, because it is necessary to
understand where beauty truly comes from.
The Bible often mentions the physical characteristics, or beauty, of certain characters to
highlight internal traits. The Bible is full of characters whose physical beauty is mirrored in their
moral values and attitudes. The Bible also uses beauty for a purpose. Often it helps the narrative
of the stories or it helps illustrate character development. Emphasizing that beauty should not
just be thrown around at the whims of ignorant people. Ignorant people are those who do not use
their reasoning to judge taste properly (Burke 13). Therefore, it appears to create an argument for
subjective beauty, when they are purposely fighting nature. Many Bible characters are written
with certain traits as beautiful and those same traits are still considered beautiful. In Genesis,
Rachel’s eyes were said to be beautiful in form and face. Esther was said to be beautiful in face
and have a beautiful figure. I Corinthians 11 talks about the beauty of a woman's long hair and
the glory it gives her. The Bible is also quite open about beauty and the unfortunate
consequences of lust or misplaced love. Burke distinguishes these characteristics to equip readers
with an understanding of the dangers. Burke says that love is caused by satisfaction in the mind
and lust is the energy of the mind that causes humans to want possession of objects (73).
Essentially, lust is a desire for an object that is unrelated to beauty and is driven by raw passions.
Burke’s definitions of love and lust parallels what the Bible says about both emotions. The
Bible’s major emphasis on beauty is outwardly beauty, by itself, is meaningless. Rather, it is the
inner moral fiber of a person and their fear of God that establishes a person’s beauty and value.
Although, it often seems like beauty is subjective, or different, for each person there is an
objective standard for all mankind. All people have a desire for the beauty of God in all things of
the world. Seeking beauty on earth is essentially the most common way mankind tries to find
proof of God’s existence. Burke’s work seems like it presents a controversial topic, but it
reiterates a common message and theme from biblical writings. The attempt to push a subjective
ideal of beauty comes from an increasingly secular society, to inject personal feelings and values
into the standards of beauty. The idea of beauty comes from God and He is the basis for how to
judge what is beautiful. Since God exists, there is an objective standard for beauty and there will
always be proof that there is an all-powerful creator of the universe.
statement. In fact, since beauty is objective and judged by set standards, that statement is most
likely wrong. However, it is not meant to hurt or degrade anyone. It simply illustrates how the
emotional attachments people create can obstruct the most obvious of facts and statements.
Edmund Burke wrote, A philosophical enquiry into the sublime and beautiful, to demonstrate the
difference between subjective and objective beauty. It endeavors to teach readers how easily
society ignores the truth to avoid hurting feelings. Burke’s argument is logically sound,
well-constructed, and parallels what the Bible says about beauty. Burke’s argument analyses a
beauty that is more than skin deep, is a beauty that comes from God, that all men subconsciously
seek.
Burke’s argument for objective beauty starts with the idea of taste. According to Burke,
Taste refers to the faculties of the mind which are affected or used to form judgements of arts
and aesthetics (14). Essentially, Burke uses Taste for that which humans find beautiful or
pleasing (14). Since most humans can agree that sweet is better than sour and that DaVinci art is
better than preschooler’s art, it is obvious that there are objective standards for judging what is
pleasurable. Burke espouses that there is a natural cause for pleasure, that enables all humans to
judge what the senses perceive. This natural cause should allow the senses to have a standard and
should be what society should regulate opinions to (Burke 17). Burke makes it clear that he
believes there is an objective standard for judging what the senses perceive and how to act based
upon that standard. However, no society agrees completely on what is beautiful, due to
difference in men’s tastes. This difference is not a difference in the standard however, it is a
difference in preference (Burke 22). All men would agree that a healthy person is more attractive
than a sickly person That is the objective standard. However, the difference in attraction between
a blonde and a brunette is a difference in preference. All these qualities are judged by an
objective standard. If they are the qualities that inspire love or similar passions, they are beauty
(Burke 73). Burke claims that beauty is not how fit something is, how proportionate, or how
perfect something is. Rather, he states that beauty is connected to virtues and the closeness to the
objective standard (Burke 89). Burke claims that each man is seeking the perfection of the
standard in the quest for beauty. Since most men would agree that a morally beautiful person is
more attractive, there is a standard for both physical and moral beauty.
This standard comes from the natural human inclination to seek perfection. But this
perfection is often misguided or misinterpreted. Humans seek beautiful women or the perfect
life, not realizing that the beauty they seek is the perfection of God. The desire that drives
humans to seek out beauty, is a subconscious desire to feel connected to God. Atheists also have
this desire for connection with God, they too seek beauty. However, instead of seeking beauty
from God, they try to create their own standards and judgments of what is right. With the idea of
objective beauty, there is the influence of God in the everyday world. The beauty of God, the
perfect Creator, is reflected by how humans judge art, other people, and ultimately all things.
Since all people are drawn to beauty, we have a better understanding of how God impacts us all
subconsciously. The ideal of beauty is important for all people, because it is necessary to
understand where beauty truly comes from.
The Bible often mentions the physical characteristics, or beauty, of certain characters to
highlight internal traits. The Bible is full of characters whose physical beauty is mirrored in their
moral values and attitudes. The Bible also uses beauty for a purpose. Often it helps the narrative
of the stories or it helps illustrate character development. Emphasizing that beauty should not
just be thrown around at the whims of ignorant people. Ignorant people are those who do not use
their reasoning to judge taste properly (Burke 13). Therefore, it appears to create an argument for
subjective beauty, when they are purposely fighting nature. Many Bible characters are written
with certain traits as beautiful and those same traits are still considered beautiful. In Genesis,
Rachel’s eyes were said to be beautiful in form and face. Esther was said to be beautiful in face
and have a beautiful figure. I Corinthians 11 talks about the beauty of a woman's long hair and
the glory it gives her. The Bible is also quite open about beauty and the unfortunate
consequences of lust or misplaced love. Burke distinguishes these characteristics to equip readers
with an understanding of the dangers. Burke says that love is caused by satisfaction in the mind
and lust is the energy of the mind that causes humans to want possession of objects (73).
Essentially, lust is a desire for an object that is unrelated to beauty and is driven by raw passions.
Burke’s definitions of love and lust parallels what the Bible says about both emotions. The
Bible’s major emphasis on beauty is outwardly beauty, by itself, is meaningless. Rather, it is the
inner moral fiber of a person and their fear of God that establishes a person’s beauty and value.
Although, it often seems like beauty is subjective, or different, for each person there is an
objective standard for all mankind. All people have a desire for the beauty of God in all things of
the world. Seeking beauty on earth is essentially the most common way mankind tries to find
proof of God’s existence. Burke’s work seems like it presents a controversial topic, but it
reiterates a common message and theme from biblical writings. The attempt to push a subjective
ideal of beauty comes from an increasingly secular society, to inject personal feelings and values
into the standards of beauty. The idea of beauty comes from God and He is the basis for how to
judge what is beautiful. Since God exists, there is an objective standard for beauty and there will
always be proof that there is an all-powerful creator of the universe.
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