aesthetic

(philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful

Greek aesthētikos, relating to perception

“I would buy a pocket-dictionary at one of the ports, but you are never alone. "Aesthetic," we know.”

— George Meredith, Complete Project Gutenberg Works of George Meredith

In Helsinki’s hipster district, Cassius, a tattooed philosopher, argued aesthetics with a barista who insisted drip coffee was beautiful. "Beauty isn't subjective," Cassius sputtered into his lukewarm brew, "it's an aesthetic truth!" The barista shrugged, steam from the espresso machine swirling like abstract art.

“To surmount this difficulty, anthropologists of art have focused on formal features in objects which, without exclusively being 'artistic', have certain evident 'aesthetic' qualities.”