Plato’s idea of a beauty, elegance and gracefulness.

 

1.      Plato’s idea of a beauty, elegance and gracefulness.

Beauty

Plato came up with a theory that combined both mathematical system and one that could be comprehended (immutable to change). He brought the ideas of Pythagoras and Heraclitus who said that our minds cannot know as the world was in constant flux. Plato recognized that beings can know through the intellect which is illuminated by the immutable which many attribute to God. The forms represent the immutable and intelligible that our minds can grasp.   The world according to Plato is divided into two namely sensible which represents the lowest and in constant change hence unreliable as source of knowledge and the intelligible (highest) which is the world of forms that represents the intelligible and knowable world. We can see the correlation with Augustine, who said that through contemplation of eternal truths we can know. The two portends that the intellect is the highest knowing faculty in man but needs illumination from above if it has to know in the proper sense.  For Plato not every mind can know except those who have contemplated and their intellect has been illuminated by the light from above. A person who has been illuminated can grasp the eternal forms which are immutable hence closer to God. 

People no longer recognize the beauty of the social organization, but detest it as a hindrance towards a preset of self ideal.  Art has become a creation and not a mimesis as it was in the ancient and middle ages. Whatever one creates has become a self discovery process which is termed authentic hence each person has to become creative to attain recognition which results in self fulfillment. There is confusion between originality and creativity as the latter is not constrained by any rules. We can see the slide to relativism on what constitutes authenticity in art. So when people claim they are authentic what they mean is that, they are living their lives in a way in which they deem fit and in an atmosphere of freedom from societal demands. Each person should make his own life an ideal and live it that way

Elegance

Elegance can be defined as simplicity, though some authors says there can are no simple theorems.  Plato says that an elegant life is one characterized by the pursuit of justice, virtue and salvation as a personal responsibility. To attain this it means we have to practice temperance and self control especially in the satisfaction of our sensual pleasures. He gives an example of sobriety which means simply not to abstain from alcohol but partake in moderation. Elegance means the ability to forge bonds in social set ups and leading a life worth emulating by others.

Gracefulness

Graceful means to be humble in our undertakings and avoid pride and arrogance. He says that mimesis will largely be restricted to auditory and visual likeness of a good person behaving steadfastly and sensibly. Someone who is gracefulness is reflection of a harmonious soul. Soul which has recognized the forms especially beauty which is in harmony with a graceful person.

It means knowing the truth of things in every sphere and drawing inspiration to greatness, in emulation of predecessors. This shows that a graceful person recognizes in humility the greatness of other men especially heroes hence imitate.  But he places a caveat that they should not imitate any unworthy character, let alone a whole variety of them. They should imitate only characters they wish to emulate in their own lives.