Is the modern world starved for beauty?

Here's the problem with this popular philosophy

Portrait Gallery
(Image credit: Alison Wright/Corbis)

The modern world has brought us a cornucopia of wealth and material satisfaction, but most people would agree that it has also brought with it a certain kind of malaise. Just ask jihadi tourists.

One venerable strand of thought in philosophy holds that this is because the modern world has forgotten about beauty. This narrative is mainly (but not only) the province of conservatives, and as a conservative I find myself drawn to it, like a work of art. But at the same time, I am skeptical.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.