Why Beauty Matters

Why Beauty Matters explores the importance of beauty in art and in our lives. It asks what is truly beautiful, both transcendentally and in a physical form, regardless of the eye of the beholder.

Guided by contemporary philosopher Roger Scruton we’ll move through his philosophical essay on the neglecting of beauty by contemporary arts and life, as well as the urge to restore it according to its essence.

Using the backdrop of history, art, architecture and music, Scruton argues the 20th century artists have turned their backs on beauty, making a cult of ugliness and leading us into spiritual desolation.

Using the thoughts of philosophers from Plato to Kant, and by talking to artists like Michael Craig-Martin and Alexander Stoddart, Scruton analyses where art went wrong and presents his own impassioned case for restoring beauty to its traditional position at the centre of our civilisation.