Applying Aristotle to the Beautiful

I don't know about all of you, but I find myself to be incredibly analytical which often translates - unfortunately - to criticism.  A lot of the time, that criticism is projected outward on other people in my life, various situations I encounter, basically, everything EXCEPT me. Well, recently I asked God for an increase in humility.  As an answer to this prayer, God has shifted a lot of my criticism to myself, and it has led to some interesting ponderings.


We all have many identities as my first post suggests.  For myself, Catholic, English major, sister, daughter, friend, girlfriend, Education major, waitress etc. are all labels I would apply, but I soon realized that there was one "label" or "identity" I have not really considered as much as some of my friends. The identity of being a woman - although a popular blog topic and conversation piece - has never really been something I have honestly mulled over.


If you were to go around and ask people what it means "to be a woman," I'm sure you would get quite the variety of answers.* Society presents women in various (often relational) roles. To me, trying to define the nature of woman seems not only like an infinite task, but also an impossible one.  How can you define "woman" when we all have such various identities? Instead of trying to tackle the singular definition that fits every woman out there, I think I will take a stab at one adjective or quality that many identify women with: beauty.


Although it borders on cliché, perhaps it is important to evaluate why everyone focuses on this one word. Since we're already in cliche territory, I'm going to "go out on a limb" here and say that "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," may be true, but this does not mean there there are not some things that are universally or objectively beautiful. So, to figure out what it means to be beautiful, we are going to use the modern (and distressing) day (online) dictionary! You're already on the internet, so let's "google" it! Google defines "beautiful" as pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically, but I think the second definition is more interesting: of a very high standard; excellent.**


That's right ladies. Of a very high standard. Excellent.


So this got me thinking more about what that means. Different groups, different cultures, different labels require different standards for all of us.  At home, the standards set for being a daughter are often different than those set by society.  So once again, we are back at the beginning with a relativistic definition of women based on their relational roles.  BUT let's look at the word excellent.


Greek philosophers often use the word arete which can often be translated to excellence. (Can you tell I go to a liberal arts college?) Arete was also the word they used for virtue.  For them, virtue and excellence were synonymous...so now we have something even more interesting.  If virtue is excellent, and excellence is beautiful.  Right there is the key to true beauty: virtue.

Now I know what some of you are thinking.  Come on Amanda, you're right back to a relative definition. Not so, my friend.  Virtue is not as relative as you may think.  It is true that different cultures have different values. Virtue in its essence is more difficult to disagree on though.

Unfortunately the philosophy classes are getting to me, and I must consider what virtue is in and of itself.  While it may be true that some cultures value certain virtues over others or include some virtues that are not included in others, it seems that virtues tend to have at least one blanket similarity that we can learn from our friend The Philosopher. Aristotle defines virtue as the mean between two extremes. So as an example, courage is the mean between cowardice and rashness.  Honestly, I don't know if I can come up with a better definition, nor can I think of a virtue that does not adhere to that definition. (If you're looking for more specifics on this definition, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is the place to go, this website has each section right there for you. Book II specifically discusses this definition.) 


OK so, I definitely didn't mean to for this to turn into a philosophy class, so let's refocus here.
The world (typically) believes that women are / should be beautiful.  Beautiful means of a very high standard or excellent.  Excellence is one of the definitions of the Greek word "arete" which can also be translated as virtue.  So, in looking at one standard, one adjective, often used to describe women, we find that women are meant to be virtuous. Excellent. Of a High Standard. Beautiful.


Now how we apply that to our lives is going to depend on each of us which is what makes God such a magnanimous Maker. We each have our own unique opportunity to live excellently. Because we are individuals, the way we demonstrate our excellence, our virtue, is going to depend on our identity. With some prayer, self-knowledge and reflection, we can live out this beauty and apply it to our lives if we so choose.


Is that a lot of pressure? Absolutely. Could we debate for hours on what exactly that means? For certain. However, I have to be in the chapel in less than five hours and I need at least a little shut eye! Good night all! Hope that leaves you with some food for thought.


*I recognize that the problems in this paragraph are similar for defining a "man" but let's face it, if I can't define woman, even though I happen to be one, how in the world am I supposed to define "man?" Perhaps another time with greater reflection and wisdom.


**Even if Google isn't the most credible source, you can also find “beautiful” defined in a Merriam-Webster dictionary where the definition also includes excellence. I double-checked just for you!