In our introductory lecture, Dr. John Vervaeke examines the concept of beauty and its decline in modern times. Drawing from the work of philosophers and scientists, the lecture explores how beauty was once considered sacred, a revelation of truth, and a calling to us, but has fallen due to the hermeneutics of suspicion, the pursuit of effortless aesthetics, and reductionist views. The lecture challenges these notions by examining cognitive science research on fluency and general intelligence, proposing that beauty is linked to intelligibility and the imaginal realm between perception and imagination.

In lecture two, we study the complex relationship between beauty, cognition, and meaning. Dr. Vervaeke challenges the modern notion that beauty is merely subjective or a byproduct of evolution, arguing instead that beauty is a transjective phenomenon, emerging from the interaction between the perceiver and the perceived. Drawing upon research in cognitive science, the lecture explores how beauty relates to fluency, relevance realization, insight, and the experience of flow, suggesting that beauty plays a crucial role in meaning-making and personal growth.

In lecture three, we explore the relationship between beauty, plausibility, and understanding, examining how beauty functions as a specific form of plausibility that shapes our cognitive engagement with reality. We delve into how plausibility operates through convergence, elegance, balance, and coherence, and discuss how beauty's phenomenological structure mirrors these aspects while adding existential significance. Dr. Vervaeke establishes beauty's crucial role in developing rationality and reasonableness, positioning it as essential for cognitive development, truth-seeking, and self-correction.