Argument Quote by George Berkeley
“A man needs no arguments to make him discern and approve what is beautiful: it strikes at first sight, and attracts without a reason. And as this beauty is found in the shape and form of corporeal things, so also is there analogous to it a beauty of another kind, an order, a symmetry, and comeliness in the moral world. And as the eye perceiveth the one, so the mind doth by a certain interior sense perceive the other, which sense, talent, or faculty, is ever quickest and purest in the noblest minds.”
About This Quote
Source Treat: "A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge", 1710
Beauty is perceived instantly and draws us without reason; moral beauty mirrors physical beauty through order and symmetry, perceived by the mind’s inner sense.
In simple terms: Beauty is immediate and draws without reason; moral beauty reflects order.
Key Takeaway
Trust your intuition for both aesthetic and moral judgments.
Themes
beauty
perception
morality
Mood
contemplative
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- art criticism
- ethical decision making
- education
Key Concepts
aesthetics
philosophy
cognitive perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you distinguish true beauty from illusion?
- Can moral beauty be measured?
A Different Perspective
Subjective taste may differ; intuition isn’t always reliable.
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![“[Tar water] is of a nature so mild and benign and proportioned to the human constitution, as to warm without heating, to cheer but not inebriate.” quote by George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b4b/george-berkeley-8287_benign_tar-water-is-of-a-nature-so-mild-and-ben_299364.jpg)
