Beauty can be consoling, disturbing, sacred, profane; it can be exhilarating, appealing, inspiring, chilling. It can affect us in an unlimited variety of ways. Yet it is never viewed with indifference. In this Very Short Introduction , the renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object--either in art, in nature, or the human form--beautiful, and examining how we can compare differing judgments of beauty when it is evident all around us that our tastes vary so widely. Is there a right judgment to be made about beauty? Is it right to say there is more beauty in a classical temple than a concrete office block, more in a Rembrandt than in an Andy Warhol Campbell Soup Can? Forthright and thought-provoking, and as accessible as it is intellectually rigorous, this introduction to the philosophy of beauty draws conclusions that some may find controversial, but, as Scruton shows, help us to find greater sense of meaning in the beautiful objects that fill our lives. Review from previous edition: "As always with Scruton, his prose is exquisite and wonderfully clear, which fact together with the illustrations make his book a thing of beauty itself." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010 "Careful and absorbing." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010 "This is a fascinating and thought-provoking little book." --A. C. Grayling, The Art Newspaper 01/01/2010 "Roger Scruton has moments of great insight and clarity in this attractively slim volume." --Sebastian Smee, The Observer 22/03/2009 "A fascinating book, which I heartily recommend." --Bryan Wilson, Readers Digest 01/03/2009 "Short, fast paced, and wide ranging." --Michael Tanner, Literary Review 01/03/2009 The renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explores the concept of beauty, asking what makes an object--either in art, in nature, or the human form--beautiful Roger Scruton was Research Professor at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, in Arlington, Virginia.