ON THE AESTHETICS EDUCATION OF MAN

Sunday, March 4, 2012

 ON THE AESTHETICS EDUCATION OF MAN was a book that assign by our Lecturer to read for our first assignment. It was a series of letters that Friedrich Schiller wrote to a Danish Prince, Friedrich Christian of Schleswig Holstein – Augustenburg. Through this book I have seen the “Beauty” in other perspective and in a different way. In the letters, he gives the philosophic basis and persuasively his view of the place of beauty in human life. Generally, what I understand with these letters was how Schiller let the prince share his think to make a great state of mankind. He sees through the beauty and art in how this thing can change people mind and let the mankind has a soul in living in this world. It seems complicated for me and I just go through with what I found interesting me the most for become an issue. We had some discussion with my friends and we agree that is, in the second letter, which is at paragraph five, Schiller stated ‘the fact that I am resisting this delightfull temptation, and allowing Beauty to have precedence of Freedom, I believe I can not merely defend by inclination but justify on principle’. By this statement Schiller has preferring beauty to freedom related on underlying theory or what he believe based on Kant’s system and followed by the next statement which is, ‘this subject is far less alien to the need of the age than to its taste, that we must indeed, if we are to solve that political problem in practise, follow the path of aesthetics, since it is through Beauty that we arrived at Freedom”. The last sentenced make me keep wondering, how is Beauty can lead to Freedom? What exactly freedom by Schiller sight?

And I read again the letter to find any answer to my question. At the same paragraph, which is at the first sentence, gave me clue that I think can lead me to the answer. Schiller were interested to inquire into an object such as this, to decide such a question in conjunction with a thinker of a powerful mind, a man of liberal sympathies, and a heart imbued with noble enthusiasm for the weal of humanity. He look of “Beauty and Art” will lead humanity into more civilization society. A perfection of life in Schiller sight is when in a society the moral principles was the necessity matter of the greatest concern to every human being.  Through all the letters, with what I understand, Schiller mark that morality important to have a peace life without any injurious consequences. I personally agreed with it. How? 

In the third letter, Schiller gave thought that when man is raised from his slumber in the senses, he feels that he is a man, he surveys his surroundings, and finds that he is in a state. He was introduced into this state, by the power of circumstances, before he could freely select his own position. But as moral being he cannot possibly rest satisfied with a political condition forced upon him by necessity, and only calculated for that condition and it would be unfortunate if this did satisfy him. In many cases man shakes off this blind law of necessity, by his free spontaneous action, of which among many others we have an instance, in his ennobling by beauty and suppressing by moral influence the powerful impulse implanted in him by nature in the passion of love. 

In my way of thinking, it said that moral experience can be applied with greater truth to the manifestation of “the beautiful”. Is it because of what people desire and what of their intention or what I meant how they can satisfied their self it was always back to happiness. In this case, it will be the “beauty”. Everyone want something nice, somehow feel good and look  good so we can’t denied what we want in our life to be great. The main idea was how we go through this necessity by the character of the people who can’t appreciate the beauty? Because a man can be opposed to himself in twofold of manner, either as a savage who despises art and let his feelings rule over his principles or as barbarian that his principle destroy his feelings that dishonor nature. These two kind of manner will never be free from what make their life miserable because it will always be anger or unsatisfied with life. 

In my personal view, beauty was an abstract and does not only state for nice look generally for human, but it is also can be seen by our personality, our manner, our feel to another, the way we treat people and our surroundings. When a person, can genuinely appreciate beauty, he will never make something that can harm or destroy it. In a mankind or society, when there imprinted appreciation of beauty in their heart and in their life, there will be no violence among to each other and for the same reason there will be no war. I hardly say it, but in my opinion I believe that’s true. How beauty can lead to freedom is when we have our self in a better way of life which is there will be no threat for us and we live with calm and peace. 

In my conclusion, the beauty has gave us to freedom in many ways that we can’t see but we will feel it. The freedom is not only at our physical but it should at our heart that can let the art bring us the view of the other world in peace and calm.