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Adler, M. J. (n.d.). Six Great Ideas. Retrieved from http://cyberspacei.com/greatbooks/h2/6gi/gi_016.htm

Letter to Artists, (April 4, 1999): John Paul II. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html

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Admirable Beauty by Mortimer Adler (written by Pablo Lauron)

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Admirable Beauty by Mortimer Adler (written by Pablo Lauron)

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Admirable beauty is a very sensitive topic as it is often mistaken as a subjective judgement. According to Mortimer J. Adler (1991), it is not. When we call something beautiful, we say so because there are characteristics about the object that are admirable. One’s confusion often lies in spotting the difference between admiration and enjoyability. In the text, Adler (1991) says that enjoyability is immediate while admirability is dependent on knowledge and meditation. This is a reason as to why admiration is an objective judgement. A statement made by Adler in the text is that admirability is objective judgement because it is constituted by an objective truth. He challenges the opinion of laymen and experts. Experts’ judgements are more valid or can overrule that of a layman for the simple fact that the judgement is made by an expert; one who knows many things or has great knowledge on the object that is of judgement. To support his statements, he says perfection and/or intrinsic excellence are required to have something admirable. To further back this up he uses a claim of St. Thomas Aquinas saying that as object is admirable for its intrinsic excellence or perfection. This means that because of its objective nature and truth, things may be only one of the two: Admirable or not admirable.

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John Paul II's "Letter to Artists' : The Vocation of the Artist (written by Patricia Panaligan

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John Paul II's "Letter to Artists' : The Vocation of the Artist (written by Patricia Panaligan

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In today’s society, we find it easy to create—whether it’s with crayons on a piece of paper or a complex idea on a complex medium, human beings are capable of creating and developing.

However, according John Paul II (1999), there are certain individuals who can be called “ingenious creators of beauty” who are able to create art that is able to capture our Creator’s, God’s beautiful creation—one that he has entrusted us to be stewards of. If God is considered to be a Creator, someone who has the ability to wield something out of nothing, artists are considered to be Craftsman—they use “something that already exists to which he gives form and meaning”. Moreover, God has bestowed upon them a God-given talent to become the extension of God’s creativity, for it to become one’s vocation in life, one’s purpose for existence which is creating art in the likeness of the Creator. Creating art that is not for the benefit of oneself but for the common good. According to John Paul II (1999), the more conscious one is of their gift, they are able to see a bigger picture through the world around them, the more they acknowledge their God-gvien gift; they “are led all the more to see themselves and the whole creation h eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise”. Therefore, we can surmise the artists’ vocation as a God-given gift of becoming an extension of the Creator’s creativity by interpreting and acknowledging the beauty of the world around us through their artworks, creating works that allows man to see the beauty of the visible world and contemplate it to the point of transcending the physical. It’s creating art that is for the common good— “for the service of their neighbor and of humanity as a whole” (John Paul II, 1999).”

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The Perennial Relevance of the Humanities by Alejandro Llano (written by: Patricia Panaligan)

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The Perennial Relevance of the Humanities by Alejandro Llano (written by: Patricia Panaligan)

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1.     Humanities can be defined as the expression in where human values and expression are celebrated. The subject aims to engage our intellect, intuition and emotion. Llano defines humanities as the educational sector that deals with man and how they are separate from the material world and animals. It pertains to the exploration of man's virtues, desires, fears, etc.

2. He states that a common misconception with humanities is that it's not a practical subject to take up in college, therefore deeming it useless to pursue. However, he argues that beneath the facade of the topic being useless lies its "principal value of utility”

3. Man aims to live with dignity; based on Llano, man does not only need objects that immediately satisfy their needs but they also need things that would dignify their existence. In this case, man's existence is dignified because we are able to stand for the truth as well as reciprocate love for things and people.

4. Humanities is important in the formation of future intellectuals. According to Llano, humanistic formation of these intellectuals would be a vital role in resolving “ideological struggles” or conflict in cultural ideas. For him, the subject of humanities can be integrated through humanist ideas that have “good doctrinal orientation, with high scientific standards, and adequate didactic focus and great sensibility for perceiving the challenges at this present hour”.

5.  Llano argued that “generalists” would be beneficial in managerial roles because according to Llano, what companies would experience are not technical problems but rather human and social problems. Therefore, he entails that if society were to be left alone with what he considered specialists like “politicians and economists” it is not enough for them to function because there are certain aspects where one needs to act with “prudence and decisiveness, and the possession of a general formation which centers on the knowledge of man”. It needs understanding that surpasses the material world and what we can immediately perceive.

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John Paul II's 'Letter To Artists': The Importance of Classical Art (written by Justin Ng)

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John Paul II's 'Letter To Artists': The Importance of Classical Art (written by Justin Ng)

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According to John Paul II (1999), Christianity has been accounted to emulate from the Western portion of the world. At the time, Classicism or Classical Art showed rationality and livelihood in the same period of time. Both encountered each other and inspired the artists and the citizens to inspire others to be Christian in their form of art, thus inspiring for Christian Art. It revolved around the mysteries of the faith and this, in particular, was shown clearly during the time the Edict of Constantine, the law at the time allowed for Christians to express their faith by all means possible, and one of the important forms is through art. Thus Classical Art inspired the architecture such as where communities worshipped and celebrated. These inspired for making sure the essence of fine arts was built upon intellect and the imagination of the mind surrounding the mysteries of Christ.

Another basis is from Christian Poets such as Ambrose and Prudentius whose works on literature were inspired by the classical literature yet have made form towards a form more Christian with respect to the gospel. These forms of Literature made it possible for Fine Arts to be relevant as an objective truth towards the beauty of such arts, which can be appreciated today in the Fine Arts. Not only literature but also music and sacred images were inspired at the time being thus putting importance to something far greater. An example present in that of the Gregorian Chant, one that comprises of the faith of Catholics and also how they admire Christ who is God, Himself and the foundations of their faith, it inspired for the fine arts to look toward a similar essence one that is based on one whole true beauty.

Another inspiration for the fine arts comes from one piece of Literature made to fill man on the essence of the divine and a view on the essence of man is found in Dante Alighieri’s work, the Divine Comedy, it comprises of the essence of morality and it shows how man should view and act to live a moral life. This classic work of literature has inspired and put relevance to fine arts by showing the moral correctness and wrongness of actions that are followed today as a way of looking onto the fine arts and its essence.

To put this into conclusion, the fine arts are always going to be inspired by classical art, a form of art that expresses Western culture and tradition that emulates the conditions for one to be considered as fine art. There must be imagination, aesthetic, and certain use of the intellect to appreciate and know this certain form of art.

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Enjoyable Beauty by Mortimer Adler (written by Ralph Manalo)

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Enjoyable Beauty by Mortimer Adler (written by Ralph Manalo)

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Based on what we had discussed in class, there are various components to what makes beauty enjoyable. These are: subjective, in a sense that it is for everyone to see beauty and relation in, beauty concerning the viewer, pleasurable and reasonable, it is for everyone, and lastly, it is contemplated upon. In this chapter, Adler addressed the arguments of Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant with respect to these components, wherein they speak of what enjoyable beauty odes. Thomas Aquinas states that beauty is what pleases us upon being seen, and is something that we must have, similar to a need or want to be satisfied, we must be able to obtain beauty (Adler 1991, p.104). Kant argues that not all that is beautiful is meant to be seen, as observed with music and poetry (Adler 1991, p.106). This is evident in the sense that we are not implied to see something physically to deem it beautiful. Kant also provides us with the information that beauty is not meant to necessarily be obtained, as it is also subject to be contemplated upon. For example, one does not have to own scenery or a view to calling it beautiful (Adler 1991, p.105). Kant describes that we hold the word “beautiful”, and reserve it for something that pleases us to the highest degree, as opposed to us throwing the words “pretty, handsome, and attractive”(Adler 1991, p.107). The word beautiful in the context of being contemplated upon is to see and appreciate not only with the eyes but with the mind, as there could be a deeper connotation to what we asses or deem “beautiful”. It is something that is recognized by our minds in conjugation with our senses. A disinterested pleasure is also involved, as we are primarily pleased upon contemplating something we entitle beautiful (Adler 1991, p.108). It is unconditional and spontaneous as it simply draws us in naturally. This entails that beauty is subjective to the person, as different people have different connotations of what beautiful is, technically saying that there is no one correct answer to what a person deems beautiful. Both Aquinas and Kant present valid arguments that jive together, as Immanuel Kant significantly shows the qualifications that Aquinas has limited enjoyable beauty towards, as he further gives more personal meanings to what we consider as enjoyable beauty.