How do you Quantify True Beauty?

View the original post on Musing.io

Haha, oh dear, the philosophical ramifications (which are wide-reaching into every area of thought in reagrds to existence) of your question are incredibly intense! But I love it.

Beauty Can NOT Be Quantified! AKA Beauty is in the "I" of the Beholder

Below I'll explain my arguments for this thesis of why beauty is quantifiable using arguments in psychology & philosophy. Would love any comments, particularly from those who disagree with me! (But also agree :P)

The Tripartite Theory of Existence

Reflected by all the major forms of scientific, philosophical, & even religious inquiry, this understanding is revolves around the significance & relation of:

1. The Observer

2. The Observed

3. The Process of Observation

All three of these functions drive the answer to your question.

The Observer, in this case, is a human being. He holds an interior/subjective perspective which (I would argue) currently cannot be comprehensively measured.

The Process of Observation for him, begins with sensation from the objective world. We have our five senses which are like openings to receive streams of data. This sensory data is then translated by the brain (based on our physiology, current mental state, past experiences, beliefs, culture, etc.) into a unique perception. In other words, raw data is filtered to create a limited point of view.

The Observed, in this case, is a woman. Another human being in the objective world that is (along with everything else we observe) filtered into our minds as a unique and original perspective. One that is subjectively true, sincere, and genuine -- but partial/incomplete (and therefore also objectively untrue) at the same time.

This is why people's points of view are relative, because they are subjective.

The Tripartite Theory Extended

1. The Observer  

• Operates in Filtered Subjectivity 
• Perspective is Relative/Incomplete/Partial/Unique
• Example English Pronoun: "I"

2. The Observed 

• Exists in the Objective Realm
• Cannot be observed/understood by a single limited perspective
• Example English Pronoun: "It, That, Him, Her," etc.

3. The Process of Observation - Gaining information from the Objective World

• Utilizes Biological Sensory Detectors (with varying degrees of sensitivity/functionality from person to person)
• Sensation is translated into a Unique Perception
• Perception is uniquely interpreted by the Person

Beauty is in the "I" of the Beholder

Therefore beauty cannot be quantified because it is a unique and complex subjective state of mind that the contemporary scientific community does not know how to measure. The best we've done is being able to correlate physiological changes with active opinions of beauty and survey people to try and grasp at patterns (like certain facial features, etc.) However, the word "beauty" encompass more than the physical. It's also a feeling. Even feelings, so far, can only be correlated with some physiological changes. And because correlation does not equal causation, we've got some work to do in the subjective realm :)

Let me know your feedback!

Disagree? Think I got something wrong? Let's chat! Comment Below :)