Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that studies beauty, taste, art, and related phenomena. It examines aesthetic properties or features that influence the appeal of objects, like elegance and ugliness. Philosophers debate whether these properties exist objectively or depend on subjective experience. Taste is a sensitivity to aesthetic qualities, and differences in taste can lead to disagreements about aesthetic judgments. Artworks are artifacts or performances such as painting, music, dance, architecture, and literature. Art interpretation and criticism seek to identify the meanings of artworks. Discussions focus on elements such as what an artwork represents, which emotions it expresses, and what the author's underlying intent was. Aesthetics is relevant to fields such as ethics, religion, psychology, and everyday life. Its roots lie in antiquity, but it only emerged as a distinct field of inquiry in the 18th century when philosophers like Alexander Baumgarten and Immanuel Kant (pictured) engaged with the subject systematically. (Full article...).

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1941:

Soviet border guards opened fire on civilians attempting to cross the border from the Soviet Union to Romania near Lunca, killing several hundred people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunca_massacre

1948:

Neil Harvey became the youngest Australian to score a century in Test cricket. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Harvey

1986:

President of Haiti Jean-Claude Duvalier fled the country after a popular uprising, ending 28 years of one-family rule in the nation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Claude_Duvalier

1991:

The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army shelled 10 Downing Street with mortars in a failed attempt to assassinate British prime minister John Major. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downing_Street_mortar_attack

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

hydrogen: 1. (uncountable) The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008. 2. (countable) An atom of this element. 3. (uncountable) Molecular hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H2), a colourless, odourless and flammable gas at room temperature. 4. (countable) A molecule of this molecular species. 5. (uncountable) Synonym of protium (“the lightest and most common isotope of hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H, 1H, or 11H), as contrasted with deuterium and tritium”). 6. About Word of the Day 7. Nominate a word 8. Leave feedback https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hydrogen

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Athletes, spectators from every corner of the world, this is a message of peace by my beloved countryman Nelson Mandela: "Peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference." Today this message seems more relevant than ever, so let these games be more than just sport, let them be a reminder of our common humanity, our respect for one another and a resounding call for peace everywhere.   --Charlize Theron https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charlize_Theron