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Full Idea
I think there are axioms, even in matters of taste. …I never heard of any man who thought it a beauty in a human face to want a nose, or an eye, or to have the mouth on one side.
Gist of Idea
There are axioms of taste - such as a general consensus about a beautiful face
Source
Thomas Reid (Essays on Intellectual Powers 6: Judgement [1785], 6)
Book Ref
Reid,Thomas: 'Inquiry and Essays', ed/tr. Beanblossom /K.Lehrer [Hackett 1983], p.285
A Reaction
It is hard to disagree, but the human face may be a special case, since it is so deeply embedded in the minds of even the youngest infants. More recent artists seem able to discover beauty in very unlikely places.
| 23653 | If you can't distinguish the features of a complex object, your notion of it would be a muddle [Reid] |
| 23655 | An ad hominem argument is good, if it is shown that the man's principles are inconsistent [Reid] |
| 23654 | In obscure matters the few must lead the many, but the many usually lead in common sense [Reid] |
| 23656 | The structure of languages reveals a uniformity in basic human opinions [Reid] |
| 23657 | The existence of tensed verbs shows that not all truths are necessary truths [Reid] |
| 23660 | The theory of ideas, popular with philosophers, means past existence has to be proved [Reid] |
| 23658 | Consciousness is an indefinable and unique operation [Reid] |
| 23659 | If someone denies that he is thinking when he is conscious of it, we can only laugh [Reid] |
| 23662 | The existence of ideas is no more obvious than the existence of external objects [Reid] |
| 23661 | We are only aware of other beings through our senses; without that, we are alone in the universe [Reid] |
| 23663 | There are axioms of taste - such as a general consensus about a beautiful face [Reid] |