Synthesized answer
The central thesis of "This Strange Idea of the Beautiful" by François Jullien is that the Western concept of beauty, established by Greek philosophy and embedded in European languages, has spread globally and obscured radically different aesthetic traditions [Passage 2]. Jullien argues that this Western concept, due to its relationship with language, has shaped how beauty is discussed in Western aesthetics in ways that often go unnoticed [Passage 2].
Jullien specifically examines how the Chinese tradition, which traditionally refuses to isolate or abstract beauty, is misunderstood in translation when presented to Western readers [Passage 1, Passage 2]. He aims to create a dialogue between Chinese and Western ideas to reassess the essence of beauty and challenge the assumptions underlying common definitions of what is beautiful [Passage 2].
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
rn languages, Jullien reveals how the traditional Chinese refusal to isolate or abstract beauty is obscured in translation in order to make the works more understandable to Western readers. Creating an engaging dialogue between Chinese and Western ideas, Jullien reassesses the essence of beauty. Categories: Art Pages: 256 Snippet: "Francois Jullien argues that the Western concept of beauty, established by the Greeks and embedded within the structure of European languages, have spread to cultures whose ancient traditions are based on radically different aesthetic ...
Title: This Strange Idea of the Beautiful by François Jullien Description: An exploration of what it means when we say something is beautiful. Bringing together ideas of beauty from both Eastern and Western philosophy, François Jullien challenges the assumptions underlying our commonly agreed-upon definition of what is beautiful and offers a new way of beholding art. Jullien argues that the Western concept of beauty was established by Greek philosophy and became consequently embedded within the very structure of European languages. And due to its relationship to language, this concept has…