Johanna Liu
Department of Philosophy Soochow University
The main objective of this article is to inquire the value and the meaning of human existence from the viewpoint of aesthetics. Its basic arguments consist in the following points: First, sense of beauty and power of creation are the inherent faculty of everyone, not the privileged talent of some special geniuses or prodigies. Second, the importance of aesthetic experience for human existence consists in the fact that sense of beauty is a precious way of being with oneself in the world. Third, through the contemplation of Art and Beauty, one could liberate him/herself from the enclosure of individual desires limited to the satisfaction of egoistic instincts. Aesthetic experience, different from experience of sense pleasure, could render human beings free in the spiritual horizon of letting-be. Fourth, human existence will be meaningless if it is wasted in daily life without experiencing the True Being. It is only when dwelling in a poetic way that he/she could have a chance to encounter with the True Being.
Keywords: sense of beauty, aesthetic experience, creative power, freedom, dwelling, poetry