The Symbolic World

395 - Beauty First: Envisioning a Civilization Worth Restoring (ARC Roundtable)

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May 16, 2025
Join Andrew Gould, an Orthodox church designer, Aidan Hart, a British iconographer, Martin Shaw, an author and mystic, Neil DeGraide, a musician from Dirt Poor Robins, and artist Heather Pollington as they ponder the role of beauty in civilization. They discuss how art, architecture, and music can renew culture and soul, advocating for a return to genuine artistry over political motivations. The conversation meanders through themes of love, nature, and the creative process, revealing the profound connections between beauty and human experience.
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INSIGHT

Beauty Shapes Civilization

  • Civilization’s decline links to how people perceive the world, implicating beauty in social health.
  • Architecture reflecting beauty supports human dignity, while ugliness oppresses and degrades society.
INSIGHT

Cosmic Meaning in Civic Architecture

  • Traditional civic architecture embodies cosmic symbolism, uniting heaven and earth.
  • Modern civic buildings’ ugliness undermines faith in public institutions and shared civilization.
INSIGHT

Heaven and Earth in Architecture

  • Architecture historically connected earth with heavens, reflecting human longing for divine union.
  • This spiritual impulse is largely lost in contemporary city-building.
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