-: A Comparative Study of Aesthetics (in Ontology and Phenomenology) in the Philosophies of Plotinus, Saint Augustine, Dionysius, and Saint Aquinas

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mina Parvaneh 1
Seyed Mohammad Reza Beheshti 2
Mohammad Javad Roodgar 3
1 PhD Student
2 -
3 Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought
Abstract
In the Middle Ages, in addition to the prevailing rationalism based on the defense of the Holy Scriptures, a new concept of the infinite emerged that, despite its supra-rational nature, gained extraordinary importance. This concept was able to equip the field of art, meaning beauty, with a method and principles that were expounded and left a lasting impact on the history of art by philosophers such as Plotinus, Saint Augustine, Dionysius, and Saint Aquinas. The common principles of these philosophers regarding beauty are rooted in ontology, referring to the origin of existence (God), and in phenomenology, with the consideration of three conditions in artistic works: proportion, harmony, and clarity (light-radiance), which have been determined as criteria for recognizing beauty. This article, using a library-analytical method, presents the common and agreed-upon conclusions of these philosophers regarding the definition of beauty and its criteria
Keywords: Divine philosophy characteristics, Plotinus, Saint Augustine, Dionysius, Saint Aquinas, beauty, light

Keywords