Roger Scruton: Beauty in a World of Ugliness

Roger Scruton with D.C. Schindler and John F. Crosby on "Beauty in a World of Ugliness," October 10, 2018, at the Catholic University of America.

LIKE and SUBSCRIBE today!

Follow us on Social Media!

Thumbnail Image Credit: Roger Scruton by Pete Helme (CC BY-SA 3.0)

[hulsfamcalcan]

Thank God for the digital age so we can still see such lectures. RIP.

[bradleywilliams]

Boy, when you're anticipating Scruton's soothing and aesthetically pleasing voice, that guy in the beginning is a real kick in the balls.

[duncansutherland]

“....self restraint and beauty, ” how refreshingly wonderful to hear.

[davidpower]

If you are just checking out these comments before watching the lecture, I am delighted to inform you that you are about to enjoy a wonderful treat.

Excellent ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[BetinhoBoselli]

What a blessing watch such a great and honorable man. RIP Sir Roger...

[thszntatst]

God bless Sir Roger. In an age of continual and progressive desecration and devaluation of aesthetic principles and the undying legacy of Western Civilization, he held and carried the standard high. When all the nonsense has found its way into obscurity, his clear voice and firm grip on what has always made life better will be found along the lighted way.

[charlespeterson]

Beauty is the true measure of our lives. So, So, true.

[kyarimaresuki]

If I say something about the graffiti problem in my city among my radical left friends, I am corrected and told it's vibrant street art. The commissioners they've voted in actually promote it. If I promote The Great Masters, I'm ignored or worse, it bores. Subversive concepts trump even years of study and skill. No discussion is allowed with many when it comes to aesthetic. One very radical person I know claimed that the concept of aesthetic value is evil or some nonsense. So it seems that with too many, anything goes and is beautiful unless its what is deemed "traditional." I am pretty sure this isn't just a matter of changing tastes but it is very political. A look at what is promoted in my city suggests that putting aside classical training, study is standing for the common man, but how many great artists started as common men who worked hard to achieve something higher? It's a little insulting to a person who was born into a blue collar family, went to art school to try to achieve that something higher. Coming back to the town I left, I felt my motivation leave as I see our galleries full of "art" achieved by gluing hair to garbage and only things like this applauded. I wonder, does it inspire people? Does the glue-y hair fill them with wonder, make them feel glad to be alive? The message is: don't work hard to be greater. You are great as you are. People who look to the work of the past will only hinder us, tear down what we worked for before because those people weren't as enlightened as we are now. Live for now, not your ancestors, not your children, if you have them.

[somosunmicrouniversodentro]

This was breathtaking beautiful and intelligent. Unfortunately I haven't been told someone as brilliant, sage and ... well no words can describe him fully, Roger Scruton. I cannot thank enough for this and the other videos. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina. THIS IS BEAUTY

[drPiotrNapieraa]

When you have such a prominent speaker, don't make the audience and the speaker wait so long - EXACTLY!

[claudefox]

R.I.P Mr. Scruton. One more extraordinary thinker who left this world. There aren, t a lot left of his kind. 🙏

[fabi]

This lecture is a spark of light in a society that gloriflies ugliness✨

[bryanutility]

Beauty is that which pleases and pulls us into community.

[kamila]

2021, i follow sir Scruton video conferences one by one to grasp some of his greatness, but on that particular confernce he wasint a shining star, i just discovered prof.Crosby (the father) and i must say he enchanted me...i could listen to him long and it would sound like a fairy tale, greetings and admiration to prof Crosby and thankx to university.

[midnaurthqua]

As I listened I thought that ugly might just be the beauty for the less talented. They can admire and stimulate eachothers work because they don't have to feel less competent.
I also recall that beauty is the reflection of the inner life.
Thus the surplus of ugly, surrounding us everywhere, is a correct translation of the inner poverty of mankind.
When The Nazarene said 'give the emperor what is the emperor's and give to God what is His', He was not talking of man made laws. He was talking about the world versus the spirit.
Man is ín the world for a short time but belongs to the realm of the spirit. Those who seek purpose in the world, gain worldliness and lose spirit. Beauty belongs to the realm of the spirit.
How can art by worldly people be anything else than ugly?
It was very nice to listen to you all. Pleasant sparks of light in the growing darkness. 💫

[overcamehim]

I have to disagree with Sir Roger on the point of beauty and suffering. Some of my most profound experiences of beauty have occured during periods of great weakness in my pain and suffering when I was brought into a deeper awareness of the Presence of God.

[zootsoot]

Beauty belongs to God, ugliness belongs to the ego, and that ugliness is both a denial and a copy of true beauty. The more ego reigns the more ugliness prospers. We need a non-metaphysical return to God.

[teresaloureiro]

1:07:36 ... YOU ARE GREAT ... COURAGEOUS and FU of HONOUR . I FULLY UNDERSTAND the WHOLE CONTEXT in which YOU ARE . CONGRATULATIONS . it is a
HERO TASK .

[teresaloureiro]

YES ... ' a LONG TERM VIEW is PAINFUL to ACQUIRE ' ... VERY BEAUTIFUL and RELEVANT COMMENT ... !

[charlespeterson]

I will make this brief, vital. When I saw the news of his death not long ago, I held my breath and said, ¨No¨. I have no apology for my being appalled at the reaction of the death a certain sports star in the also recent past. To think that Mr. Scruton was hounded, defiled and ostracized by ill educated self absorbed snarling mobs to the end of his life sickens me. That, judging by the date of this video, he would have known of his future, makes it all the more unbearable. Make yourselves heard for the sake of God.