Session #19 - Aesthetics and how it affects the value of objects and beings

"If you crush a cockroach, you're a hero; if you crush a beautiful butterfly, you're a villain. Morals have aesthetic criteria"
Friedrich Nietzsche

“Art is not about itself but the attention we bring to it.”
Marcel Duchamp

We all make aesthetic judgments constantly.
About people, brands, things, cities, food, rituals.
Is it a matter of just “taste”? Is it refinement through traing or education?
Aesthetics is not just decoration. It’s a value system.
It shapes desire, identity, what we trust, and the very meaning of things.

This session is not about “what’s beautiful”. It’s about where does beauty come from, why it is so influential to our lives, how it defines or even shapes so many things.

You dont need to be an expert in art or fashion, but expect different points of view. If everyone agrees, the session probably failed.

Session Outline

1. Introductions (10 minutes)
   Please bring an object (can be an image in your mobile) of something that you consider beatiful. Can also be a passage of a literary work, or concept, etc.
2. Background on Aesthetics by Philospher Erik Hallay
   (20 minutes approx.)
   Erik will give a short intro about the definition, history, and implications of aesthetics.
3. Some questions that we will explore for the rest of the session:
   (1 hour and 30 minutes)
4. Are we born with good taste, or do we learn it? Is beauty a social construct?
5. Can something ugly be beatiful and viceversa?
6. Can universal aesthetic standards exist?
7. Can art exist without an audience?
8. Does beauty have an evolutionary advantage?
9. Does desire shape aesthetics, or aesthetics shape desire?
10. Do you dress for yourself or for social acceptance?
11. Can beauty be a moral statement?
12. Should art comfort, disturb, or train perception?
13. Can AI generated art carry aesthetic value?
14. Does art lose value when it becomes easily reproducible?
15. Is originality overrated?
16. If aesthetics disappeared tomorrow, what would we lose first—joy, meaning, or hierarchal references?
17. Should artists be morally accountable for their work?
18. What are the boundaries between art and design?
19. Why do we put more attention into protecting beautiful species but ignore ugly ones?

RSVP: Please confirm your attendance on Meetup to make sure we have enough space. Consider donating from 400 HUF to keep the costs of the meetup.