The Effects of Beauty and the Redemption of the Ugly

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the aftermath effects of beauty, the ugly, and the ways of how to get rid of the ugly. Firstly, we will attempt, in lieu of a definition of beauty, to examine the three classical conditions for beauty, which would otherwise be regarded as in some sense a mystery. Secondly, we will turn to the effects of beauty by analogy to the six effects of love as elucidated by Thomas Aquinas; in addition, we shall add three other effects of beauty found in classical Greek thought: catharsis, epiphany, and pleasure. Thirdly, we will review, by way of contrast, the corresponding effects of the ugly; as we do so, we shall propose just how the ugly may be “redeemed” by beauty.