Prologue
The Map of Two Great Rivers: Proportion and Light
Why do we pursue beauty?
Beauty is not mere sensory pleasure but lies at the root of how humans seek to understand the world and themselves.
Philosophy has long sought to answer this question by reflecting on beauty, art, symbols, and signs.
Umberto Eco (1932?2016) was one of the most persistent minds to pursue this inquiry.
He began with the theology and philosophy of the Middle Ages, built a universal system of semiotics, and extended his analysis to popular culture and media.
As seen in The History of Beauty and The History of Ugliness, Eco’s gaze served as an instrument to question the principles of aesthetics across eras and civilizations.
Beauty always appears as a sign of its time and culture.
It is a code?an open text waiting to be interpreted.
Eco says, “A sign is always open, and interpretation is never closed.”
Thus, beauty is not a single definition but something that constantly emerges within the field of interpretation.
From Plato in antiquity to Heidegger and Wittgenstein in modernity, the history of aesthetics has been rewritten through each age’s language and thought.
