Beauty Lies in the Eyes of the Beholder

Oft quoted, the above statement is sometimes attributed to Plato, sometimes considered a Sufi aphorism, but almost always sadly interpreted as an example of the self-elevating, yet false, posture of the idea of relativity.

From an Absolute standpoint, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder in as much as wisdom lies in the heart and mind of the person who stumbles upon it. A foolish person who does not understand wisdom does not reduce the merit of that wisdom in any way. Wisdom stands on its own; it is up to the person seeking it to rise to the challenge of comprehending it.

The real meaning of the statement lies perhaps in another magisterial statement made by Plato, one which Seyyed Hossein Nasr has called perhaps the most profound statement ever made:

Beauty is the Splendour of Truth.

Beauty, from a Traditional point of view, is a Divine quality. Truth is another Divine name and an often used term to describe Divinity itself. Beauty, therefore, as understood from Plato’s statement above, is the most elevated manifestation of the Truth. This, by definition, means that Beauty is Absolute, for the Divine cannot be relative.

It should be rather easy to understand, then, that Beauty does not lie in the eye of the beholder as such, for Truth is not subject to the opinions of human perception (unlike facts). It stands completely on its own.

So how must we understand that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder? It lies in the eyes of the beholder in as much as the beholder is able to appreciate it, but is in no way defined or limited by the beholder’s ability to appreciate it.

To make this more palpable, just because the headlights of your car at night only show you the next twenty feet, that does not mean that nothing exists beyond those twenty feet.

One’s capacity to see or understand the Truth does not diminish the Truth itself; it is rather an opportunity to humble oneself to then be able to witness the Splendour therein (or within, really).