Episode 2214 | How is "Beauty" Truly Measured?

In this episode, Sebastian and Angie investigate the reasons behind Nathaniel Parker Willis’s descriptions of Lake George. Utilizing the concepts of picturesque theory, the works of landscape artists from America, France, and Italy, and philosophical ideas regarding objective and subjective beauty, the two discuss whether the beauty of nature belongs to the landscape itself or if its in the eye of the observer. Throughout this episode, listeners learn how different influences like writers, paintings, prints, tourism, culture, and the consideration of the natural world all influence human perception of scenery. Overall, the episode concludes that their is both objectivity and subjectivity in the appreciation of beauty.