We can usually classify each of our fellow humans somewhere on the scale between Ugly and Beautiful. Not so with Nature. It is difficult to find any examples in the natural-world that can be considered ugly. The colors, are perfectly matched and blended; the shapes are perfect, even if non-symmetrical; the composition is perfect. There is some magic at work here.
If we try to draw or paint Nature, it can end up a real mess. For example, ask a child to draw a tree without its leaves -- at best, the result will look awkward. If we build something that does not have an exact symmetry, it looks a bit strange. How come Nature does not make aesthetic mistakes?
Could beauty simply be a measure NATURAL-ness? Is it possible that we are psychologically programmed to read all things in Nature as 'beautiful'? If this is the case, perhaps we should have also been programmed with a greater respect for the survival of such beauty.
Discuss
Jesse Akers on February 27, 2008, 10:57 PM
because its symettrical(spelling errors for example are NOT beautiful) the beauty lies in the symmetry, symmetry is beauty, from our faces and bodies to the COSMOS, from our ideas of the atom to our ideas of love
an appriciation for Gods wonders is def. something our society lacks, more later i m at work, but dont tell our network adminstrator that!
good thing about bigthink is its not recongnized as a social network yet!
HA!
a a on February 28, 2008, 1:11 AM
Does a pile of poop count? Because if it does, despite some excellent properties for fertilization, I find the odor offensive and not much to look at =) But maybe I’m way off track. As a nature lover, nature certainly is beautiful, and wouldn’t be if it weren’t for poop =)
Bruce Allen on February 28, 2008, 11:50 PM
Jesse — I tried to distinguish here between biological-beauty, man-made-beauty, and the natural beauty in nature. Yes; you can argue that humans are a part of Nature, but for the sake of this discussion, let’s leave that as a side issue.
A point I am trying to make is that Nature can get away with asymmetry that we do not accept in most creations of man. Take the car as an example — try designing [ and selling ] a car that did not have near-perfect symmetry on at least one axis. If you found a tree on planet Earth that was symmetrical, you would immediately be able to identify that as not the work of Nature. However, there is a wonderful BALANCE in Nature; a little different from symmetry.
Once we start considering animal-life, other emotions creep into the equation — abhorrence, disgust, love, etc., all of which cloud our judgement of Beauty. Another example — messy-death. This would probably be considered Ugly by most people.
Bruce Allen on February 29, 2008, 12:02 AM
Donny — Welcome back [ although, back from where, I know not ]. Was it something I said?
Regarding the poop; you won’t get any disagreement from me. However, this falls in the area of biological-beauty [?] — please see my previous comment to Jesse.
a a on March 2, 2008, 8:55 PM
No. Nothing you said. I’m still around, I’m just laying low. I chose to remove my ideas, as they continually seem to diverge into religious discussions when not intended, which then turns into a conflict completely off topic. I have always welcomed your comments, even when they don’t agree with mine. I’ll probably have some new ideas in about a month.
I see what you’re saying now. Overt symmetry in nature looks unnatural. Interestingly though, studies have found that people whose face more closely approximate symmetry are considered to be “attractive” in the general sense and people whose face are less symmetrical are less attractive in a general sense. The same study also researched this behavior in other animals and found that symmetry of the opposite sex was a factor in attracting a mate. Idea being that symmetry is an indicator of superior genes and good health.
But, I must agree that a symmetrical mountain or tree looks unnatural, but what about say a flower, that approximates symmetry.
a a on March 2, 2008, 9:23 PM
What purpose is there for beauty? Could nature survive without it? What would a natural world without beauty look like? The moon? Even the desolate moonscapes seem to be in some way beautiful. Are we limited to only to living things? Jupiter and Saturn with it’s rings are beautiful also.
Bruce Allen on March 3, 2008, 8:19 AM
Donny — please return soon. My readership dropped by half when you left. I promise not to stray off topic in future [ or at least I will try ].
Regarding Beauty and Symmetry in Nature — you’re right about the flowers. However, there are self-correcting mechanisms ready to swing into action if things get too symmetrical. Look at what happened to four-leaf clovers [grin].
But Jesse hijacked my original thought and led to a discussion on symmetry. Beauty and Symmetry deserve a dedicated thread. The original concept was that Nature looks beautiful to us because we are programmed to believe that the beauty we see in Nature, is on the asymptote against which all beauty is measured. Putting this another way — maybe Nature is really Ugly, and we’re just encouraged to interpret it differently.
a a on March 3, 2008, 11:24 PM
Damn, I’ve been brain-washed again?
dennis ilic on March 7, 2008, 11:04 PM
What could I say?
Mother Nature is beautiful. It’s us that mar it with piles of buildings and scars of roads.
Maybe Nature is beautiful because it has been producing works of Art for much longer than us.
Nature is to classics, as we are to advertising?
pokój! on May 4, 2008, 12:52 AM
Have you seen Planet Earth yet? There is an episode (Jungles or Rainforests, I can’t remember) that showed a type of spore that infected certain small creatures (ants, moths, etc.) with a kind of fungus that took over the hosts’ brain. They showed an ant that was discovered to be infected being taken away from the rest of the hill colony, and this ant then proceeded to climb a tree, dig its pincers into the bark, and die. Then a fungus grew out of it’s head. They showed this in time-lapse video. It sounds very disturbing, and is when viewing it for the first time, but watching it happen, you still get a sense for the beauty of it. They show a moth that has been infected, and it is almost like an abstract painting of a moth. Its so bizzare, yet still beautiful…
Drew Woods on June 26, 2008, 1:34 PM
Well, first of all Donny Mac, I think it’s pretty cool when you’re walking through the forest and there are traces of deer everywhere. Little pellets of natural fertalizer spread everywhere.
Nature and beauty are about perception I think. Think of it this way. You’re walking through the woods, and you see a tree that is not erect. If fact, it goes up normally for less then half a foot, curves at almost a ninety degree angle to the left for about 2 feet, then curves back and up a bit and then goes straight up. Not your normal tree. Completely unnatural in terms of how trees and plants are thought to grow. Yet, with the snow covering it and the uniqueness of such a sight makes it remarkable.
I think of the book “the little prince” where a man is aksed to draw a sheep. He draws sheep a number of different ways until finally, he gives up, draws a crate and says the sheep is inside. To his surprise, the little prince is pleased with this final drawing and none of the others.
Some people don’t like picasso. Some people don’t like too much green because they grew up in the woods. Some people don’t like elvis, or the beatles. Some people like Big Clunky boxy houses and others cute cottage like homes. It’s about what you’re used to, and how you perceive it. I like things that are different. So the tree was a unique beauty. Our own characters determine what we believe to be different and interesting and a sense of mystery often adds to beauty. A quite night in the woods with owls hooting with fresh undisturbed snow. Mysterious? Beautiful!
Shawn Wilson on July 30, 2008, 10:19 PM
cosmos long time no see just wanted to let you and dony mac im back on here…I will be back to comment…on your ideas tommorrow…take care..
Arto Seperick on January 25, 2010, 6:08 PM
What purpose is there for beauty? Mother Nature is beautiful!
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