Dana Gioia - "Why Beauty Matters" (Talk on art, beauty, and spirituality)

Contemporary culture has discarded the concept of beauty in both art and philosophy. It is not a word much used nowadays, even by art critics, except ironically. But the absence of beauty as a positive concept has left a hole in our thinking-not only in art and philosophy but also in education, politics, worship, and civic life. And its absence has doomed much of what we do in the public sector to failure.
In this talk I discuss the philosophy of beauty, why beauty matters in art, and the role of beauty in culture and intellectual thinking.
I plan to release more video talks on my youtube channel. If you would like to see them, please subscribe to my youtube channel.
My Website: www.danagioia.com
My Twitter: / danagioiapoet

[@mSchwippy]

We must protect this man at all costs

[@billrubenstein51]

I believe this is the most important message in the world. Roger Scruton and Arthur Danto made pioneering attempts to reach the public, but Dana Gioia has made the case more clearly and urgently-- and universally- than anyone.

[@jubelbovan7842]

Amen, amen and amen!

[@artofmusic303]

I like what Irish poet and philosopher John O'Donohue once said, that beauty gives us courage. That has been true for me.

[@doodadofdeath5673]

good thing he has such a good voice. this beauty stuff has always been mud to me and now it's even muddier.

[@BardSonic]

This man is both brilliant and courageous

[@mihaela-iulianadumitrescu3408]

"Beauty is the promise of happiness" - Quote by Stendhal

[@danagioia6943]

Stendhal is one of my favorite writers.

[@AliciatheCho]

This is amazing. You perfectly articulates what I felt when I visited the Prado museum. The first floor is religious art. The second floor has modern art. I felt almost disgust at the modern art after seeing the beauty of devotion, beauty of tapping into the divine. I’m currently in Catholic RCIA and I will share this with the class ❤

[@houseofsimran]

Thank you so much for putting this together professor. I cannot tell you how deeply and how often I contemplate the role of beauty on an almost daily basis, and especially so when I consider the purpose of design. I hear arguments of beauty being a fabricated thing in this day and age and nothing seems farther from the truth or more in need of clarification. Thank you so much.

[@danagioia9056]

How good to hear from you, Simran. I hope your design studies are going well. That is a field where these issues are crucial.

[@Lala-lw6pi]

So so interesting. Given the yoruba west african traditions and one of the stories of Osun (goddess/orisha of beauty/love) is when the other gods didn’t appreciate her/ want her. She left the world and everything went to shhht. The gods tried to save it but nothing was working, they finally went to the Creator God of All and asked for his help and he said well “where is oshun”. It wasnt until her return, the return of beauty, did the world get saved. The ending to this video is exactly that message. Many still have false stereotypes on feminine spiritual archetypes that represent beauty and love such as Oshun, Aphrodite, Hathor, Mira, Luxmi and so many others with the same story across time and culture. But all of these spirits- if you practice, learn about them or simply envoke their energy, u will realize are actually the MOST POWERFUL of all spirits. Osun is a warrior goddess. And try getting cursed by an aphrodite priestess 😅 they look “superficial” and egotistical to the naked eye; but initiating into these feminine, beauty and love spiritual paths are not for the weak. Actually- the strongest (characters and mind) of spiritual people Ive met were all followers and initiates of the beauty archetypes!

[@Gooseyboi403]

Thank you for your videos, I’ve enjoyed each one I’ve seen and I noticed your story in my first issue of The Hudson Review , The Imaginary Operagoer and I related quite a bit to it. I used to hate reading in school and would go to great lengths to avoid it at any cost. I matured a little late and started reading literature for fun when I was in the Army, sitting at green ramp in my parachute for hours the short stories by Hemingway was a great way to pass the time and would fit perfectly in my cargo pocket. Now that I’m 34 and have read so much I’ve finally discovered Yeats. Unfortunately I’ve felt incredibly lonely having no one to discuss it with. Literature has a potent and profound effect on me and I buy extra copies of my favorite works and give them away to anyone who might open it and look.

[@danagioia6943]

I'm delighted that you saw and enjoyed my little memoir. It will be part of a forthcoming book on opera and poetry to be published at the end of this year.

[@stampdealer]

I'm very glad to have found your channel. You remind me very favorably, and happily, of one of my beloved Theology professors at Franciscan University, Dr. Regis Martin. Dr. Martin seemed ontologically incapable of delivering a lecture that wasn't heavily sprinkled with quotes from T.S. Elliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and other poets. His theology, needless to say, was, and is, heavily informed by the evidential power of beauty, and expressed through poetry.

[@danagioia6943]

Thank you. Sounds like my type of professor.

[@michaelm7823]

The depth, clarity and comprehensiveness of this thought and articulation on what for me have been complex issues...stunning. I'm so glad to be discovering your work. You're taking the knot in the pit of my stomach and putting words to it which is so helpful.

[@Je_suis_Jefe]

Incredible, a magnum opus 👏 👏 👏

[@johntravena119]

Most of us agree with you but probably can’t say Why. It seems that fragility and impermanence are part of beauty also. That the destruction of the natural world, and vandalism in general, causes us such distress and even hurt (I feel it as a weight in my belly) is further proof of the objective existence of beauty. Great essay - I’ve watched it several times already.

[@rmleighton1]

I’m with you. I have had moments like a flash. It overwhelms, fleeting, and then it’s essence is gone.

[@dgillane]

I particularly liked when you discussed Post Offices. I can appreciate arguments for functionality and fiscal responsibility when discussing public buildings, but government is more than just a functional (please, no comments on its seeming lack of functionality) part of our lives. It is a reflection of our community identities. Thank you, Dana, for giving me a half hour to listen to someone talk about beauty and reminding me how beautiful things can be, even in a time of discord and stress.

[@sublimeister9630]

I recommend Roger Scrutton’s championing of Beauty. There’s also one on “Ugliness” by Umberto Eco. As a Non-dualist (Zen), both go together… 🙏😊

[@robertgainer1395]

I really enjoyed this essay on beauty. Although I am familiar with Keats and Wilde, the Thomas Aquinas reference was new to me and helped my understanding. It gave me a lot to think about, including how beauty is differentiated from the sublime in the Romantic mindset. Thank you.

[@tomfrantz]

You are the most important guy in this day and age. Thank you for your poetry, and analysis...

[@phoenixinthetrees1446]

2:01 'BEAUTY is truth, truth beauty' - you have these the wrong way around, Dana - beauty comes first, of course! (Consider me tutting and rolling my eyes at this point!) Aside from that, this is another in a series of wonderful and engaging videos; it's a joy to watch them all.

[@serpentines6356]

It was wonderful reading everyone's comments. My question is, how do we get those in offices of decision making, and power to create more beauty in the world instead of more ugliness?

[@elleh3495]

This video and its message are helping to coagualate/solidify some truths I've known about myself but have been incapable of articulating without seeming off-putting and a dreary bore. Being aestheically averse to plastic, neon, metal buildings and other such hollow nonsense of postmodernism, are my understanding of this world captured in my earliest memories. I felt great frustration and a longing for something linguistically unknown to myself, at that time. Slowly my life has adapted to those needs, and yet I am only now reading, viewing, and thoughfully attending to the language and ideas I needed so much in order to describe the longing for substantive classical beauty that has haunted my life. Ive found it in my life in Europe now. Thank you so much for your attention to these matters, and for leaving a video record of such importance for your viewership.

[@liper13]

That was amazing. My simple thank you does not suffice.

[@seekingfireflies144]

Eloquent presentation. Thank you for this. One thought tho - when considering ‘prettiness’, I think of Esther’s story in the Old Testament. Much was made of her physical appearance, her beauty, as being necessary to accomplish her task, and this causes me to return to the idea that physical human beauty/prettiness is valid & important, no less than the compelling beauty of a mountain stream, the Sistine chapel, etc. Maybe this sounds shallow & ridiculous to some, but I believe our attempts & desires to be physically beautiful are no less spiritual than the desire to create poetry, painting, great architecture, music, etc. All beauty has its reason & its place imho.

[@MargaritaMooneyClayton]

This video summarizes so many complex ideas and make them practical. I have used this video for teaching, and I can assure you it is informative, inspiring and beautiful!

[@AlexAnder-rv1gu]

this is an INCREDIBLE oration. (I don't just like the ideas, I also like the way you specifically did speak slowly enough for me to think while listening)

[@WilliamBrownGuitar]

Very enjoyable. Bravo. One minor brief: the injection of the 60's counterculture was a bit weird IMO. I remember it as such a narcissistic, nihilistic, and dehumanizing movement. I suppose I may have missed his point there.

[@nickandmikec]

Thanks, Dana, for such an effort. Nick Campbell

[@audraburkauskiene3883]

You truly understand the importance of beauty

[@devilpig6]

A tether made manifest. You're a pretty neat fella... I've thought of all of these ideas so many times in silence and you've provided the proof I needed to let me know it's not just me... We've been drained of our connection to ourselves for so long that beauty has no effect... It's hard to see others as human when they are blind to all that matters... We live in a mirror... I'm not a fan... Thank you so much for this...

[@beautyandthefaith]

Thank you for this inspiring presentation. My pastor shard that he think I am focusing too much on the creation at the cost of the spiritual state of the lost. I believe through the beauty, we can reach more of the lost , especially in the post-modern era. I believe in beauty, then goodness, then truth. What do you think? I hope to start a Christian art gallery that will do social work in this field, as gardening work, prepare people for the gospel, but also an act of love in by itself.

[@chriswyles553]

Dana, this is, beautiful. Thank you.

[@marvalice3455]

Truth goodness and beauty are all brought together by the 4th transcendental. Wholeness. Or completeness.

[@johncrossman7493]

Excellent commentary, thanks for sharing.

[@marciapd10]

Excellenttt👏👏👏👏👏

[@MrMcSlack]

Wow! This is truly enlightening.

[@AbdulAbdul-qp4yo]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@marclayne9261]

Brilliant......

[@nameless2407]

this is deep.. thank you

[@alexkrantz316]

Beautiful.

[@fernandoosorio5707]

Great! Thank you.

[@davidhathwell8212]

Always intelligent, interesting, and provocative.

[@StanleeKubrick]

Thank you , this was a great watch!

[@brianjosephestanislao3511]

Wonderful video! However, thinking generally as an evangelical, I consider a modern church (or auditorium) as less beautiful than a Catholic church, at least in relation to visual art. Auditoriums are aesthetically closer to brutalism than cathedrals.

[@serpentines6356]

I agree.

[@jenniferbondbaker]

Just excellent and wonderful.....and beautiful. Thank you.

[@maryloiscarroll322]

Amazing video! Thank you for thinking through beauty and explaining it for the edification of the world.

[@kinnish5267]

thank you I needed to hear this

[@celesteeden]

Loved this TY!

[@marthatappan7427]

Maravilloso. Gracias

[@danagioia6943]

De nada

[@SeeLight222]

Beauty is in the uniqueness of the object. Everyone/thing has beauty. Mass production/parrots/sheeple/the gullible don't. Sadly, a large chunk of America is of the latter variety now.

[@kharkovsky4009]

Top 🔝

[@rstabbert1]

2:41 the words I can not put together…thank you

[@wolfgangandrewx2416]

yup

[@henryparm4631]

I love that painting at 7:12 does anyone happen to know what it is?

[@BizRasam]

Giovanni Bellini - Saint Francis in the Desert.

[@samlocke9160]

Dana, what is the source of the Aquinas quote 15:40 to 16:00?

[@michelylopes3888]

I want to discuss this topic with you further, how do I contact you?

[@LukeTheArtist96]

I'm no expert on these matters, but I don't think that the idea that beauty is subjective means that it's completely socially constructed, just that it's influenced by own society and experiences. I don't think that subjectivity cheapens beauty at all. Some of the most real things human beings can experience are subjective. I just don't see how it could possibly be objective. If someone finds something beautiful and you don't, how could you argue possibly prove them wrong? If someone is experiencing beauty, they're experiencing it. It'd be like if someone told you they're experiencing happiness about something and you tried to argue that they actually aren't, because it doesn't make YOU happy. Edit - I will say I do agree with the idea that beauty is transcendent and sublime. I just don't think you can grasp and measure it in some scientific, objective sense.

[@kingdomproductions]

Perhaps you could think about it in terms of a story. You can't argue that what makes a good story is subjective - The Brother's Karamazov is a good story, whether you like it or you don't. What makes it a good story? Not necessarily something that you can specifically point to - plot, structure, characters, etc., but a harmony of all of these things that lift you to transcendent reality. It is like that with beauty. The statue of David is beautiful whether you think it is or not. What makes it that way? Not necessarily something you can point to, not even something that you might be able to ascent to, but it is objectively beautiful. Objective doesn't mean scientific, that's part of the flaw of postmodernism that Mr. Gioia points to.

[@clayerkwiltee2315]

@@kingdomproductions The statue of David is interesting, but not beautiful , at least not to me. I can't really judge 'The Brothers Karamazov', as I don't read russian. Yet, I know beauty when I see it.

[@nononouh]

1

[@joefish6091]

Sir Roger Scruton had been dead one year before this version came out. Naughty Roger for plagiarizing Dana, even down to using the same title.. It must be a Harvard thing.

[@HrvojeJuvancic]

Actualy, a guy stole sir Roger Scrutons documentary title.

[@KL0098]

Roger Scruton, who'd probably have appreciated this video, didn't invent the practice of wondering why beauty matters. Didn't you hear Gioia quoting Dostoyevsky saying in the 19th century that beauty will save the world? The role of beauty in the modern world has been a topic under discussion since the Romantics at least.

[@dragoninwinter]

Pretentious babel.

[@999reader]

The opening quotes taken out of context mean nothing really. The poet should stay out of pontificating about philosophy and aesthetics, at least before he studies them in depth.

[@TheCreativeautomaton]

don't watch this, christian pseudo artistic philosophy to reinforce religious norms. sadly vailed attempt.

[@ladyrose7029]

This comment isn't helpful or productive. The role of the transcendentals, the sublime, and what the Romantic poets speak of all go way beyond what seems to be perceived as reinforcing religious norms. It speaks deeper to the human spirit and what it means to be human. If people are seeking to know and learn, they have the agency to make that choice.

[@caseyspaos448]

Like you obviously didn't! 😂 Or if you did, you lack the intellect to grasp the wisdom of his words and of those philosophers he quoted. You're like the fundamentalist Muslim who refused to eat a hamburger because it has ham in it!

[@Crysalis-bd9so]

Or perhaps, you've got a bias against God. (Shrugs) and therefore you miss the message