Beauty is a term that describes the qualities and characteristics of objects, animals, ideas or places that give them a pleasurable effect on the perceiver. It is an important aspect of aesthetics, culture, psychology and philosophy.
There are many different approaches to the meaning of beauty, and many different formulations. One of the first is that beauty is the arrangement of integral parts into a coherent whole, according to proportion, harmony and symmetry. This conception is often found in classical and neo-classical art, literature, music and architecture.
Another, more contemporary interpretation of beauty is that it refers to a specific type of pleasure. This view is shared by philosophers like G.E. Santayana, who in The Sense of Beauty (1896) emphasizes the pleasure that is caused by the experience of beauty while still gesturing in the direction of the object or experience that causes it.
A third approach is that beauty consists of the usefulness and suitability of something, especially for its intended purpose. This approach has been advocated by ancient hedonists like Aristippus of Cyrene, who argued that everything that people use was also considered beautiful.
This is a particularly problematic view of beauty, however. It is incompatible with many other concepts of beauty, such as the idea that it is a universal value, or that there is nothing more important than a pleasant sensation. It is also a dangerously subjective way of assessing beauty and it can be difficult to reconcile with other ways of evaluating beauty, such as those that are based on scientific methods or rely on the experience of an observer’s emotions.
Nevertheless, there are also those who think that beauty is a fundamental human quality, and that it can be measured and evaluated by scientific instruments. Those who argue this way point to the fact that science can discover the properties of things that would normally be classified as un-beautiful, such as fire and water.
The most sweeping criticism of this approach is that it can lead to an overemphasis on the pleasure or satisfaction that arises from something that has been perceived as beautiful by someone else, without taking into account any other aspects of what was seen or felt. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a problem in that it can create an illusion of objective standards, which is what we are trying to avoid.
It can also be dangerous to use chemical-based beauty products, which have been linked to a range of health problems including skin cancer, premature aging, and infertility. This is why it’s a good idea to stick to organic or natural-based beauty products, such as those from Tata Harper.
In the United States, Congress is working to address a number of issues related to the toxic chemicals used in beauty products. They’re introducing bills that aim to ban the most harmful ingredients, including formaldehyde, phthalates and mercury. These laws will also require that cosmetic companies disclose their ingredients and ensure transparency in the supply chain. These rules are especially important for women of color and salon workers, who have been shown to be exposed to disproportionately high levels of these chemicals.