Why do so many women struggle with beauty? This book explores up-to-the-minute research and biblical truths to help you understand why beauty is an important spiritual issue for so many women. In a recent survey, 48 percent of American women said they felt “wholesale displeasure” about their bodies. Many of the rest disliked some part of their appearance, such as their thighs, tummy, or hips. Meanwhile, most Christian women recite what they’ve been taught to believe: how you look doesn’t matter; inner beauty is what counts. The truth is, few women know what the Bible really says about beauty, so we’re at a loss when a daughter reveals an eating disorder, a friend says she hates her body, or we find ourselves anxious about another birthday or another ten pounds. Why Beauty Matters explores current research that has made Newsweek headlines, delves into the breadth of biblical wisdom about beauty, and listens to real women as they struggle with the tough issues that make physical appearance one of the most important spiritual issues of our lives.

Beauty has captured human interest since before Plato, but how, why, and to whom does beauty matter in today's world? Whose standard of beauty motivates African Americans to straighten their hair? What inspires beauty queens to measure up as flawless objects for the male gaze? Why does a French performance artist use cosmetic surgery to remake her face into a composite of the master painters' version of beauty? How does beauty culture perceive the disabled body? Is the constant effort to remain young and thin, often at considerable economic and emotional expense, ethically justifiable? Provocative essays by an international group of scholars discuss aesthetics in aesthetics, the arts, the tools of fashion, the materials of decoration, and the big business of beautification—beauty matters—to reveal the ways gender, race, and sexual orientation have informed the concept of beauty and driven us to become more beautiful. Here, Kant rubs shoulders with Calvin Klein. Beauty Matters draws from visual art, dance, cultural history, and literary and feminist theory to explore the values and politics of beauty. Various philosophical perspectives on ethics and aesthetics emerge from this penetrating book to determine and reveal that beauty is never disinterested.

In a book that is itself beautifully written, renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores this timeless concept, asking what makes an object--either in art, in nature, or the human form--beautiful.--From publisher description.

What we moderns have forgotten, the ancients knew well: true beauty heals the soul, draws us to God, and yields lasting happiness. Rich with the wisdom of Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, and St. John Paul II, these pages unpack perennial truths about beauty and rivet them into your soul, opening the eyes of your understanding to the beauty all around us. Offering an abundance of accessible examples, author John Mark Miravalle demonstrates that beauty is neither in the eye of the beholder, nor for the cultivated, the dreamer, or the “hopeless romantic” alone. On the contrary, the ability to understand, recognize, and delight in beauty readies all souls for heaven — and makes it easier for us to get there. From these pages, you'll learn: Why beauty is not just a matter of opinion. The virtues we need to perceive beauty and to enjoy it. How to determine whether an artwork is truly beautiful. The respective roles of reason and emotion in appreciating beauty. How the beauty of nature testifies to God's existence . . . while rejection of God obscures nature's beauty. With the help of these pages, you'll receive fresh eyes to marvel again (or for the first time) at the beauty of nature, music, art, architecture, and, most importantly, the beauty of God, the fountainhead and exemplar of all things on earth that are beautiful.

Are you tired of being told that beauty is subjective and that there's no objective standard of attractiveness? Are you confused by the ever-changing beauty trends and standards propagated by the media? Do you want to understand the science behind beauty and its role in our lives? "Why Beauty Matters: A Scientific Approach to Aesthetics" is your guide to understanding the evolution of beauty, the biological and psychological factors that shape our perception of attractiveness, and the societal implications of beauty standards. In this book, you'll discover: - The evolutionary basis of beauty and its role in human survival and procreation. - The science behind attraction and how our biology influences our perception of beauty. - The historical context of beauty standards and their impact on society. - The multi-billion dollar beauty industry dissected and critiqued. - The role of the male gaze in shaping beauty standards. - A comparison of aesthetic standards in art and how they've evolved. - The relationship between beauty, health, and overall well-being. - Common myths about beauty debunked. - How the media influences our perception of beauty and attractiveness. - The negative impacts of beauty standards on mental health and self-esteem. - A deep dive into the concept of inner beauty and how it's perceived across cultures. If you want to cut through the confusion and understand the real science behind beauty, then "Why Beauty Matters: A Scientific Approach to Aesthetics" is the book for you. Don't let society's beauty standards dictate your life any longer - take control and buy this book today!

Physics.

Roger Scruton is one of the most widely respected philosophers of our time, whose often provocative views never fail to simulate debate. In Modern Philosophy he turns his attention to the whole of the field, from the philosophy of logic to aesthetics, and in so doing provides us with an essential and comprehensive guide to modern thinking.

What do we mean by 'culture'? This word, purloined by journalists to denote every kind of collective habit, lies at the centre of contemporary debates about the past and future of society. In this thought-provoking book, Roger Scruton argues for the religious origin of culture in all its forms, and mounts a defence of the 'high culture' of our civilization against its radical and 'deconstructionist' critics. He offers a theory of pop culture, a panegyric to Baudelaire, a few reasons why Wagner is just as great as his critics fear him to be, and a raspberry to Cool Britannia. A must for all people who are fed up to their tightly clenched front teeth with Derrida, Foucault, Oasis and Richard Rogers.

Acclaimed designers Sagmeister & Walsh explore the essence of beauty and the transformative power of beautiful design In this groundbreaking highly visual book, world-renowned designers Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh set out on a mission: to find out what beauty is and the many ways that it impacts our lives. They turn to philosophy, history, and science to understand why we are drawn to beauty and how it influences the way we feel and behave. Determined to translate their findings into action, Sagmeister & Walsh show us how beauty can improve the world.

"When Jonas Salk founded his eponymous research center for biological studies in 1960, he envisioned a humanist, nearly monastic community of scientists devoted to the prevention and cure of disease. In architect Louis I. Kahn, Salk found a kindred spirit, and together the two created one of the great masterpieces of modern architecture - in Salk's words, "a work of art to serve the work of science."" "Charged by Salk to "invite Picasso to the laboratory," Kahn responded with a series of austere, spiritual spaces for the complex, which was set on a coastal site in the San Diego, California suburb of La Jolla. Kahn's design integrated commodious laboratory and study spaces while offering lush gardens for reflection and the now-famous courtyard with its transcendent perspective of the Pacific Ocean. Interlocking volumes unfold time and space throughout Kahn's bravura orchestration of concrete construction." "In this volume, acclaimed architectural photographer Ezra Stoller, whose images of the Salk Institute have become iconic themselves, captures the timeless grandeur of this unique monument to scientific understanding and artistic achievement."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved