---
product_id: 3274440
title: "Beauty: A Very Short Introduction"
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---

# Beauty: A Very Short Introduction

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## Description

desertcart.com: Beauty: A Very Short Introduction: 9780199229758: Scruton, Roger: Books

Review: Excellent introduction to thinking philosophically about beauty - Roger Scruton has written a fascinating and thought-provoking introduction to the philosophical musings surrounding beauty in this book. Rather than attempting to to exactly define what beauty is he takes a different route, striving to help the reader work through how beauty relates to man and what the significance of that relationship is. Scruton leans heavily on Kant, never quite affirming or denying Kant's ideas, but rather playing off of them, pointing out where they are helpful but also exposing their shortsightedness and/or misconceptions. In that regard, Scruton felt very balanced and mature in his approach. As a writer, I greatly appreciated Scruton's tactic of introducing ideas and concepts early in the book which he utilized later, early ideas and concepts being built upon and "paying off" later on in the book. The connection of desire and the exploration of sexual desire and attraction between people which he works through in the second chapter is essential to the line between erotic art and pornography he divines later on. Additionally, he introduces the idea of the sacred as early as the first chapter, though it is much more extensively explored in the second chapter and onward, which he then draws on for his climactic eighth chapter, art is contrasted with kitsch and the treasuring of the sacred with its desecration in postmodernity. Additionally, though it was only explored briefly, the parallel between the appreciation of jokes (and the difference between good ones and bad ones) and the beauty of art (which is judged as good and bad as well) I found quite insightful. I think a better argument might have been made for some equivalence between humor and beauty, but there are also dark corners to the reality of humor which do not fit Scruton's ultimate orientation for beauty, so that equivalence would not have lasted long at all. Though he never comes forward as a Christian, Scruton's religious worldview is evident in the eighth chapter, specifically with his elevation of sacrifice as that path which beauty offers to man as salvation from the mindless addiction of kitsch and desecration. To explore the ramifications of such a connection would, in my opinion, require an entirely different volume (or more) to tease out. Here, Scruton seems satisfied to point and highlight. Overall I found the book a quite enjoyable read, and much more accessible than I first feared. Though some of the philosophical waters he treads in are deep, he does so with ease and an nonchalant proficiency of which I am slightly envious. I would highly recommend this book to pastors and especially worship leaders or worship arts pastors who are trying to work through how the arts can fit into their church. While not proposing a theology of the arts, Scruton has laid a philosophical (and almost theological) foundation which could greatly contribute to anyone working through such things. I also think this book would be accessible to anyone interested in delving a little deeper into the philosophical waters surrounding beauty, and it would be a great starting point before diving into some much deeper waters with other philosophical writers.
Review: If you read one book on philosophical aesthetics… - Scruton's expertise in Kant stands him in good stead in this introduction to philosophical aesthetics. (His Oxford "very short introduction" to Kant is excellent.) Here, I would like to see more on Hume's second enquiry, but in the end it is still the finest brief introduction with which I am familiar to philosophical aesthetics. His brief treatments of kitsch and the potential sacrality of beauty are quite useful.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #63,187 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #12 in Philosophy Aesthetics #12 in Conceptual Arts (Books) #42 in Arts & Photography Criticism |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (688) |
| Dimensions  | 0.6 x 4.4 x 6.8 inches |
| Edition  | 1st |
| ISBN-10  | 0199229759 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0199229758 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 208 pages |
| Publication date  | April 8, 2011 |
| Publisher  | Oxford University Press |

## Images

![Beauty: A Very Short Introduction - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-gYb+llsL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent introduction to thinking philosophically about beauty
*by Z***H on August 7, 2017*

Roger Scruton has written a fascinating and thought-provoking introduction to the philosophical musings surrounding beauty in this book. Rather than attempting to to exactly define what beauty is he takes a different route, striving to help the reader work through how beauty relates to man and what the significance of that relationship is. Scruton leans heavily on Kant, never quite affirming or denying Kant's ideas, but rather playing off of them, pointing out where they are helpful but also exposing their shortsightedness and/or misconceptions. In that regard, Scruton felt very balanced and mature in his approach. As a writer, I greatly appreciated Scruton's tactic of introducing ideas and concepts early in the book which he utilized later, early ideas and concepts being built upon and "paying off" later on in the book. The connection of desire and the exploration of sexual desire and attraction between people which he works through in the second chapter is essential to the line between erotic art and pornography he divines later on. Additionally, he introduces the idea of the sacred as early as the first chapter, though it is much more extensively explored in the second chapter and onward, which he then draws on for his climactic eighth chapter, art is contrasted with kitsch and the treasuring of the sacred with its desecration in postmodernity. Additionally, though it was only explored briefly, the parallel between the appreciation of jokes (and the difference between good ones and bad ones) and the beauty of art (which is judged as good and bad as well) I found quite insightful. I think a better argument might have been made for some equivalence between humor and beauty, but there are also dark corners to the reality of humor which do not fit Scruton's ultimate orientation for beauty, so that equivalence would not have lasted long at all. Though he never comes forward as a Christian, Scruton's religious worldview is evident in the eighth chapter, specifically with his elevation of sacrifice as that path which beauty offers to man as salvation from the mindless addiction of kitsch and desecration. To explore the ramifications of such a connection would, in my opinion, require an entirely different volume (or more) to tease out. Here, Scruton seems satisfied to point and highlight. Overall I found the book a quite enjoyable read, and much more accessible than I first feared. Though some of the philosophical waters he treads in are deep, he does so with ease and an nonchalant proficiency of which I am slightly envious. I would highly recommend this book to pastors and especially worship leaders or worship arts pastors who are trying to work through how the arts can fit into their church. While not proposing a theology of the arts, Scruton has laid a philosophical (and almost theological) foundation which could greatly contribute to anyone working through such things. I also think this book would be accessible to anyone interested in delving a little deeper into the philosophical waters surrounding beauty, and it would be a great starting point before diving into some much deeper waters with other philosophical writers.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you read one book on philosophical aesthetics…
*by N***N on August 20, 2025*

Scruton's expertise in Kant stands him in good stead in this introduction to philosophical aesthetics. (His Oxford "very short introduction" to Kant is excellent.) Here, I would like to see more on Hume's second enquiry, but in the end it is still the finest brief introduction with which I am familiar to philosophical aesthetics. His brief treatments of kitsch and the potential sacrality of beauty are quite useful.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good primer for beginning contemplation
*by M***N on August 14, 2023*

Exposes and explores many of the issues around the concept of beauty in art, and the author does a very good job of providing examples to understand the issues as well as specific instantiations that many readers might know in their artistic fields of practice (music, sculpture, painting, writing, theatre, etc.). If you're looking for a clear and stable definition of beauty or art, good luck. At best, there are simply conversations--some of which are considered passe', politically incorrect, or irrelevant these days. (We're kind of in a strange time in art.)

## Frequently Bought Together

- Beauty: A Very Short Introduction
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*Last updated: 2026-03-06*