The Sense of Beauty

George Santayana's The Sense of Beauty (1896) is a significant work in aesthetics that shifts focus from art to fundamental issues in the philosophy of mind. Santayana argues against the idea that aesthetic interest is disinterested and universal, proposing instead that pleasure is the central aesthetic category. He defines beauty as "pleasure regarded as the quality of a thing".12

According to Santayana, beauty can be understood through two categories: form and expression. In his theory of expression, he suggests that in aesthetic pleasure, associative processes fuse the response aroused with the object that arouses it. This work explores the nature and elements of aesthetic feelings, positing that judging something as beautiful involves establishing an ideal, and understanding beauty helps distinguish temporary ideals from more fundamental and lasting ones.12