What Is Thomas Aquinas Concept Of Beauty

St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225 - 1274) was an Italian philosopher and theologian of the Medieval period. He was the foremost classical proponent of natural theology at the the peak of Scholasticism in Europe, and the founder of the Thomistic school of philosophy and theology.

The philosophy of Aquinas has exerted enormous influence on subsequent Christian theology, especially that of the Roman Catholic Church, but also Western philosophy in general. His most important and enduring works are the "Summa Theologica", in which he expounds his systematic theology.

Aquinas was born around 1225 to a noble family in the small town of Roccasecca, near Aquino, Italy. His father was Count Landulph and his mother was Theodora, Countess of Theate. His uncle,

“Beauty is that which gives pleasure when seen.” is Thomas’s definition of beauty. “Beauty is essentially the object of intelligence, for what knows in the full meaning of the world is the mind, which alone is open to the infinity of being.” Maritain. In other words when someone sees a flower the persons senses observe the material and finally exists on the mind. Then, they can study the form and understand more of its beauty. The person’s senses does not indicate the beauty of the material, it is the mind that’s responsible for recognizing the beauty of the material.

For Thomas there are four primary standards for beauty: actuality, proportion, radiance and integrity. The context of the list is centered on the relationship of the three persons of the trinity, specifically the Son. The Son has integrity as he “has in Himself truly and perfectly the nature of the Father.” He has proportion “inasmuch as He is the express Image of the Father.” Lastly radiance, as the word “which is the light and splendor of the intellect.” Actuality is the basis of beauty. Beauty is grounded in the actual existence of the

It means a certain relation of one quantity to another. “We have only to think of the symmetry of the petals of an orchid, the mutual adaptation of the parts of a work or art to realize how important the factor of harmony in in beauty.” Maurer. The material may actually be symmetrical, but it is more important that it is well-balanced. The parts of the whole are in harmony.

Radiance signifies the luminosity that emanates from a beautiful material. Thomas connects beautiful things with the divine light. It connects all beauty to the beauty of God, as the cause of all beauty.

Wholeness or integrity is the last standard of beauty. If some particular thing was perfectly beautiful, then it would be actualized, lacking nothing essential to its nature.

Thomas speaks about wholeness in the context perfection. A predicate can express being in reference to itself either affirmatively or negatively. Affirmatively, Aquinas claims that the predicate thing is transcendental, since each being is a unified whole. Negatively, the predicate one is transcendental, since each being is undivided with reference to itself. The transcendental are properties of being as such. Each is convertible with being. In other words, the transcendental are present whenever being is present. So, Aquinas’ list of transcendental consists of the following: something good and true. Thomas understands that beauty and goodness differ