You can readily see from the table of contents the various topics that we’ll cover. This book has been stewing in my mind for years now, and I think I’ve already written parts of it in ad hoc efforts here and there. But at one point it struck me that perhaps there is a need to consider ancient philosophies anew, to seek out that which is true and beautiful in the hopes that it will help us on our way to become better, happier, and more fulfilled people.
I am talking about that which leads to a good life, but even more, I think we need to go beyond that—beyond goodness—and strive for perfection. It seems that the best way to do this is by a study of and reflection on those things that we inherently perceive to be intertwined with the concept of the perfect, chiefly beauty and, in particular, the beauty of truth and those things in which that beauty is most fully found.
I believe that in finding that beautiful truth, we can find a way for us to become most fully human, to be, as the old Army ad said it, all that we can be, and more. It also seems to me that there is a certain limit as to the fullness of humanity that we can achieve even through a reflective life working towards goodness and the fulfillment such a life brings. In order to go beyond goodness, towards perfection, we need to seek that Beauty which is beyond ourselves, which is beyond any human.
Therefore, this book is structured into parts that roughly follow this approach, starting with a consideration of truth, in itself, and how it relates to beauty. It moves from there into a panorama of beautiful thinking—particular ways of thinking about things that seem to have the most beauty. In considering those, we move on to see applications, to see examples of how to become more fully human. Finally, we go beyond goodness, towards perfection, in a consideration of transcendent Beauty and how such Beauty can help us ultimately reach perfection.
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