''For other uses, see Beauty (disambiguation).

Nymph with morning glory flowers.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A nymph with morning glory flowers by Lefebvre. The image of the young woman is a classical symbol of human beauty, and a dominant theme in art.]] Beauty is a value associated with an innate and emotional perception of life's affirmative and meaningful aspects within objects in the perceived world —ie. vitality, fertility, health, happiness, goodness, and love. Cognition of "beauty" involves the interpretation of objects as being in balance and harmony with nature, which in turn elicits a sense and experience of attraction, affection, and pleasure.

In its most profound sense, beauty is said to engender a salient experience of positive reflection with regard to the meaning of one's own being within natural life. An "object of beauty" may be anything that reveals or resonates with a personal meaning. Hence religious and moral teachings have often focused on the divinity and virtue of beauty, to assert natural beauty as an aspect of a spiritual beauty (ie. truth) and to define all self-centered or materialistic pretensions as based in ignorance. The ancient story of Narcissus for example, deals with the distinction between recognizing beauty and falling into vanity. The presence of the self in any human context means that beauty is naturally tied to its human meaning, wherein human beauty is often the dominant aspect of a greater natural beauty. Otherwise, objects can be defined as belonging to any of various types, such as "artificial," or "intellectual" beauty.

In the modern context, the usage of beauty as means to promote an ideology or dogma has been a focus of societal debates which center around issues of prejudice, ethics, and human rights. The usage of beauty for purposes of commercialism is a controversial aspect of the "culture wars," wherein feminism typically claims such usage promotes a dogmatic (ie. "The Beauty Myth") rather than a virtuous understanding of beauty. The literal opposite of beauty is ugliness —ie. the perceived lack of beauty, which stimulates displeasure and engenders a deeper negative perception of the object.

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"and the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair"
niccomiranda (Nicco Miranda) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:49 -0000
"and the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair"
Hi all! Walls-Mills-Beauty - summer and autumn just got published: http://trim.su/2YkH (by Eniso)
ENISO (ENIS) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:47 -0000
Hi all! Walls-Mills-Beauty - summer and autumn just got published: http://trim.su/2YkH (by Eniso)
Geometric Beauty. True: http://www.anamappe.com.br/blog/2009/12/17/heather-blaine/
AnaLuizaGomes (Ana Luiza Gomes) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:37 -0000
Geometric Beauty. True: http://www.anamappe.com.br/blog/2009/12/17/heather-blaine/
the #higher the #heal, the #better. #beauty is #pain. http://bit.ly/Tighter
revesbyseller (Revesby Seller) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:55:30 -0000
the #higher the #heal, the #better. #beauty is #pain. http://bit.ly/Tighter
Shiori Kawamoto: A Mixture of Intricate Scribbles & Soft Childish Beauty: http://bit.ly/59J6z9 #JBlogs
bloglinkjapan (BlogLinkJapan) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:54:58 -0000
Shiori Kawamoto: A Mixture of Intricate Scribbles & Soft Childish Beauty: http://bit.ly/59J6z9 #JBlogs
Doziej Bright blue sky and snow - whats that all about? << beauty xx
wildwitchyju (juliette owens) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:54:52 -0000
Doziej Bright blue sky and snow - whats that all about? << beauty xx

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