Thought for Sunday

This from a review of a book called Only A Promise Of Happiness (Alexander Nehamas, Princeton University Press):

Not only professional philosophy but large swaths of culture begin to look different once we've included desire and uncertainty in our idea of beauty. When, for example, we talk about beauty in purely formal terms — as Modernist critics did — we must conclude that beauty will always be a rare thing, its appreciation inherently difficult. But if instead we agree with Mr. Nehamas that beauty is identical to desire, that desire longs for engagement, and that such engagements are invariably risky, we might talk about beauty as we would talk about friendship: not as a verdict of something's worth but as indication that a relationship with the beautiful object will continue to give us unexpected pleasures over time.

I like the sound of this interpretation of the word "beauty", a word with which I've always had a difficult relationship.

Anyway, why not go and read the full review and, in the meantime, I'll stick the kettle on and we can have a chat about it when you get back:

"The Uncertainty Principle Of Beauty" - review by Gideon Lewis-Kraus.

On a side note, the review of Nehamas' book compelled me to meander over to the Princeton University Press' website where I discovered a book with the utterly magnificent title of On Bullshit. The book is written by Harry G. Frankfurt, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Princeton University, and the the blurb reads:

One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit. Everyone knows this. Each of us contributes his share. But we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bullshit and to avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not aroused much deliberate concern. We have no clear understanding of what bullshit is, why there is so much of it, or what functions it serves. And we lack a conscientiously developed appreciation of what it means to us. In other words, as Harry Frankfurt writes, "we have no theory."

This is how all academic tomes should be written. My copy is on order.