In person meeting: Beauty

Join us for a discussion of beauty and spiritual philosophy.

The ancient Greek had a concept of the three transcendentals: truth, goodness, and beauty. Beauty was not just a subjective experience to Plato, but a form of being that crossed the threshold to the divine. Works of art could be considered "beautiful" if they expressed truth or inspired goodness.

Many religious traditions have aesthetic components. The oldest religious writings were not prose but poetry/songs. Chanting, hymns, and elaborate temples or churches are used by world religions. Theologians like Hans Urs Von Balthazar argued that it's the aesthetic aspects of religion that attract people, not just logical arguments.

Experiencing beauty; whether through art, nature, or other people; is where many find meaning in life. Even though taste in art is subjective, most of us have an idea of "good" art vs "bad" art.

Questions to consider:
- What about life do you find beautiful?
- What makes a piece of media beautiful? E.g. what makes a movie good or bad?
- Does beauty or aesthetics play any role in your own spiritual beliefs?