Philosophy

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Philosophy

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Socrates used the words of Plato upon his death because he embraced and understood the
viewpoint. Plato and Socrates both realized before their deaths that life is not about being the
most beautiful or the wealthiest person but is instead is about seeking knowledge and leading a
just life. Beauty cannot be truly discovered if it is masked by a looks based culture that is
focused on sending a sexual message and defining beauty based on standards the average citizen
cannot possibly reach. According to Socrates the body and soul are two parts with the body
focused on seeking pleasure and the soul is focused on the search for knowledge. The body is
imperfect and only perfection can be found in the reality of the soul.
Socrates spent his life searching for truths and believed in the immortality of the soul. His
theory of forms finds there exists real entities such things as Beauty in itself, Goodness in itself,
and Largeness in itself (Mason, 2012). Socrates finds beauty is not an object but is beautiful
because it participates in the Form of Beauty. In other words a person must have the attributes of
beauty to be truly beautiful. In the 21st Century beauty is not defined by the actual beauty of a
person but in the portrayed beauty that is provided through a media image. The media displays
attractive people that are airbrushed to perfection giving a false sense of beauty for people that
are not truly beautiful in form.
Socrates found a person may appear beautiful when dressed nicely but this does not mean
they are truly beautiful (Cookson, 2009). In the 21st Century beauty is determined by
advertisements that display an extremely thin male or female with flawless skin and gorgeous
hair and clothing. In truth this person probably looks quite average in reality so they are not truly
beautiful in form. Socrates also found that ultimate beauty would in fact not contain

Philosophy

contradicting elements that are beyond the earthly experience. Socrates saw beauty as a heavenly
form and not a form that could be created in the body.
Socrates did not see beauty as something that brings enjoyment. He found that just because
the object is perceived to be beautiful because of its form does not in fact make it beautiful
because the inside of the objet could be ugly or evil. The limitations of Socrates view is that
what people find beautiful does indeed bring them pleasure and because of the pleasure it brings
the media uses this beauty to attract consumers. The result has been a world focused on an idea
of beauty that has been defined by the fashion and advertising industries. This definition of
beauty has become a part of the culture and has created society of people constantly trying to
meet the high standards established by advertisers.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the culture and environment of the individual also
plays a significant role in how beauty is defined. In the past more full figured women were
considered beautiful by the media and therefore by society. In modern society beauty is still
subjective but becomes a creation of the mind when enforced in society. An object can also be
beautiful without any influence from the media or society, such as a mountain or ocean view, but
according to Socrates beauty is not a quality of the object but instead a heavenly form.
As society become more materialistic and focused on selling a product a distorted view of
beauty the less likely that non-celebrities, will be able to meet this high and unrealistic standard.
Beauty has become about enhancing a commercial product instead of teaching members of
society that beauty comes from within. While Socrates recognized that the soul and the amount
of knowledge gained by the individual were more important than the beauty of an object the
same recognition has not been developed in the advertising industry.

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References
Cookson, P. (2009). What Would Socrates Say? Retrieved October 12, 2012 from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/
Mason, M. (2012). Socrates, the Senses and Knowledge: Is there Any Connection? Retrieved
October 11, 2012 from http://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.html