Beauty and Intellectual Discipline

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Beauty and Intellectual Discipline
Many philosophers have associated beauty with moral improvement since time immemorial. Many have believed that beauty has the ability to transform the way one thinks and feels and can even guide us to function in more ethical ways. Iris Murdoch, in her philosophy, believed that Appreciating beauty in nature and art and mastering an “intellectual discipline” can help train us for a morally virtuous life (Murdoch). According to her appreciating beauty can evoke a sense of good responsibility and guide one to overcome their own selfish desires and aspirations (Murdoch). She believes that beauty can make one selfless, able to draw us out of ourselves and our selfish interests and engage us in more purposeful things. She also sees beauty as being able to help one see past their ego and to appreciate the basic worth and dignity of people and things around their environment. She equates beauty to good and refers to it as the obvious and evident feature of the good, and that appreciating beauty can be beneficial to one’s virtues, and the two should not be differentiated or contrasted against each other (Murdoch). She also believed that art has moral and ethical significance. She argues that works of art can help one view the world from various perspectives, to acknowledge the complexity and variations of ethical issues, and to create a more compassionate and sensitive understanding of other people. Art, just as in invocations, draws us towards appreciating the good, making us a better version of ourselves.
Murdoch, further in her writing, emphasizes, in a range of scenarios, the significance of intellectual discipline in shaping one’s moral life from one’s own relationship to societal and political matters. She sees it as a significant tool for maneuvering the complex and frantic atmosphere of human relationships and nurturing greater compassion among people (Murdoch). She states that intellectual discipline is important for moral and spiritual development and involves a careful and critical approach to one’s intelligence and beliefs and understanding of new ideas and views. It is essential for moral and spiritual growth and development as it encourages an individual to explore beyond their defined points of view and to have a more expanded and inclusive overall view. This enables one to have a view beyond their own selfish interests and to acknowledge and appreciate the basic values and worth of others. Murdoch sees intellectual discipline as requiring individuals to nurture a sense of disengagement from one’s own self-favoritism and to work towards impartial intelligence and thinking. This requires a desire to question one’s own thoughts and beliefs and to be able to explore and criticize them. 
Argument in support of the Thesis
For one to be able to appreciate beauty, their attention should be focused on positive deeds like; having positive emotions and engagement in good experiences. These acts of focused attention can help people deal with misfortunes better and strengthen one’s sensitivity and awareness toward people and their environment. These features are important in nurturing characteristics like kindness, honesty, responsibility, respect, and courtesy. Appreciation of beauty can awaken a sense of admiration and appreciation, which in turn builds virtues like humility, gratitude, and sincerity. Appreciation of beauty affects one’s inner peace and harmony as it brings about the feeling of unity, clarity, and a feeling of a well-balanced environment (Murdoch). This feeling of harmony can help build a balance in one’s life and relationships, which is important in building moral virtues like self-control and fairness.
A high degree of concentration and discipline is needed to master intellectual discipline. Like creating a new h...