Why Beauty Matters

Contemporary culture has discarded the concept of beauty in both art and philosophy. It is not a word much used nowadays, even by art critics, except ironically. But the absence of beauty as a positive concept has left a hole in our thinking-not only in art and philosophy but also in education, politics, worship, and civic life. And its absence has doomed much of what we do in the public sector to failure.

In this talk I discuss the philosophy of beauty, why beauty matters in art, and the role of beauty in culture and intellectual thinking.

VESTIGIUM FORUM (Dana Gioia, poet)