I share the following provocative BBC documentary, “Why Beauty Matters”, by Roger Scruton. A powerful and moving piece on the importance of beauty and aesthetics in art, form, and the natural world around us. Scruton maintains that beauty “is a value, like truth and goodness,” decries the fact that the world has turned its back on beauty, and bemoans the spiritual desert of the postmodern world, which oft seeks to mock the pursuit of beauty and desigrates its spiritual significance. Mona Charen referred to Scruton’s documentary as “one the most affecting documentaries I’ve ever seen.”
We cannot reach a consensus on the definition of beauty, any more than on the definition of other such volatile terms. But we can reach a consensus on the importance of beauty, and its place in our lives. The test of time is important, but the important time is now. And that is why we must educate children in the love of the beautiful and the capacity to distinguish the true from the phony examples.
– Roger Scruton