Who Is To Say This Is Beautiful, Professor ?

A Dialogue Getting Clear On The Question

By Lucas J. Mather

But who’s to say, professor?

The professor stopped and wheeled around, looking over his glasses at the student, and said, huh?

Who’s to say that’s what’s right?, the student continued.

The professor slowly brought the marker to the cap, and popped that sucker on there, and said, huh?

The student was visibly agitated, slightly, and said, Who’s to say that’s what is right?

Do you want some of their names, or all of their names?

No, I mean….

Huh?

No

You said, “who”, and it sounds like you want a list of names–

No, I mean, who is to say?

Can I ask you a question, real quick?, the professor sighed.

Sure.

I understand the question, who said, or who says XYZ? But when you put that infinitive in there, who is “to say,” you lost me.

-uh—

I mean, the professor continued, when I hear “who” I think, you want a list of names, or definite descriptions of people who say what we’re talking about, right?

–well, n-yeah I guess — I dunno — it

And then I have a group in mind, but I’m not sure if you’re requesting the whole group, or just some members, maybe, but the whole group–I don’t know that I know all of their names, and even if I did, what if it’s a really long list? And we run out of time? You probably don’t know a lot of them, so assuming I have this list you’ve requested in the middle of my lecture, by the time I get to the second Brad and the third Gary and the fourth Christine and the fifth Mike and the sixth Lawanda, what use will this list of people be to you?

I just asked who’s to say that this is really beautiful, the student said sheepishly.

Yes, I haven’t changed the subject. That’s what we’re talking about — your lust for this strange information.

No I mean–

Do you want to threaten them?

No

Why do you want this list?

I don’t want a list.

What do you want? What’s your request.

I want…to know…how we —

Ah! A “how” question, a very different question indeed !

Yeah, how we know this is beautiful. Like really.

So, it’s not a “who” question, at all. Right?

Right, he said, laughing.

So if I would have busted my ass getting you this stupid list, and been all, L-A (La-dash-a), Bill, Mike, Richy, Michelle, Micaela, on and on, it would have been lots of work on my part but not really answering your “how” question that you asked as a “who” question, right?

[class erupts]

Yeah, I guess.

Okay, so ask your question again, the professor smiled, warmly.

How do we

Did you just call me Dewey?

No , haha, how do we know this is beautiful.

You look at it.

[Stunned silence in the class room for a full minute].

If it’s an auditory object, like a song, you listen to it, the professor continued, helpfully.

But yeah, you look at it, the professor continued after a bit more.

But how can I …the student eeked out…know it’s beautiful.

What’s the definition of know–give me necessary conditions, the professor prompted.

Truth, belief, evidence, a girl said.

So, ask yourself: Do you believe it’s beautiful?

Yes, he said.

Do you have evidence it’s beautiful, the professor continued.

Um, no…wait…see…..

Is seeing something evidence?

I guess.

Do you believe I exist, the professor asked the student.

Yes, he said.

Why?

Because I see you.

Ah.

[It was quiet]

So seeing can be evidence.

Yes, the student said.

And is it true that it’s beautiful? What’s the definition of beauty?

I don’t know, different people have different definitions.

Not really, the professor said. Have you double checked on that?

No.

You just say it without checking on that — you’re talking about other people you’d have to check with, right? the professor said.

Yeah. So, what do you think the definition of beauty is? the student asked.

I won’t just tell you what I think, I’ll tell you what the word means. I’ll tell you what you think — feel free to correct me. I’m using Dallas Willard here, who said it simply: Beauty is goodness manifest to the senses.

Who’s that?

Philosopher at USC: Christian. Republican. He’s since passed on. A song can be beautiful. A meal can be beautiful. We typically use other words to get at that reality. A sculpture can be beautiful to feel or to look at. A waterfall can be beautiful or a sunset or a girl. Something a girl does can be beautiful–and so we can say her soul is beautiful as it comes out in her character, through her actions. When you come to believe something on an appropriate basis of experience, and that thing really is beautiful, then you know it’s beautiful.

[Silence in the class. A girl actually gasps with delight].

I didn’t tell you anything that you didn’t already know, right? the professor said.

They solemnly said, no.

And I didn’t need a list of names. Those are irrelevant here. When I look at the sunset, I don’t take a Gallup poll to tell whether it’s beautiful. I just look at it.

Does it mean you can be wrong?

Sure!

So how do you know you’re not wrong?

I look at it. Look at it again. It is possible my soul is so damaged I can’t tell it’s beautiful when it is, or vice versa. Maybe something happened to me. I suppose I could refigure it if someone vehemently disagreed with me about it. But that’s not likely to happen.

So, I can know that’s beautiful.

Sure.

How can I know beauty exists?

You see a beautiful thing.

Okay.

There’s a thing there, and it’s beautiful. Beauty exists.

As a separate thing?

Is it separate from the thing that has it?

Well, no, but then how could all these other things be beautiful if beauty is only right there, he asked.

Who said it’s only right there? Why can’t it be multiply located?

You mean, the same beauty, over here and over there?

Sure.

That doesn’t make sense.

Sure it does.

No, because that would mean it’s not physical, the student said.

That would seem to follow, yes, the professor conceded.

But if it’s not physical, what is it?

It’s goodness manifest to the senses, as we’ve already said. Remember , Dallas Willard said that.

Okay, but how do you know goodness exists…I mean who’s to say….

Ahhhh, tsk tsk tsk–

Oops sorry.

We’re gonna break you of bad habits, the professor LOLed

How could goodness be in a physical object… I mean, where’d it come from?

Well, maybe we should talk about God’s existence.

I’m an atheist, the student said.

Okay.

So?

Do you believe in goodness?

I guess…I’m not sure.

Yes, he corrected himself.

Good, the professor said.

[The class laughed].

Why think it comes from a place? A place is physical.

True. But like how does it exist?

Ah, very good.

[Class laughs].

Have you read your Plato? He was an atheist, too.

To be honest, professor.

No, lie to me.

[class laughs].

Honestly–

Be dishonest, it’s okay.

Okay, I read the Plato reading.

Plato believed that Goodness was the highest of the Forms — the nonphysical ideas that are the most real things in the world.

Just ideas out there.

Just ideas, “out there” but not in space and time.

Floating out there?

That would require space.

So, just out there.

Not really.

I’m lost, the student said.

You’re in Lost Angeles.

[Class laughs].

How could there be these things these ideas.

How could there not be these things, these ideas, the professor said.

Who’s thinking these ideas?

Before people?

Yeah. Like.

Nobody.

Okay…

He was an atheist. No God.

But beauty and goodness are real.

Hells to the yeah, the professor said.

That’s trippy.

I don’t do drugs, but I *highly* recommend you do the reading. Can I get back to my lecture , now, the professor queried.

Sure.

And with that, the professor lifted his marker, and pulled the cap off, and said, so as I was saying…

Copyright Lucas J. Mather, 2018
All Rights Reserved
Originally published to Facebook Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 12:19 am

Dr. Lucas J. Mather is the Producer and Host of The Republican Professor Podcast available on audio on your podcast app and on YouTube.

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Lucas J. Mather, Ph.D. 

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