What is the meaning of the statement "what is natural is not ugly"

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:40

Usually the phrase "what is natural is not ugly" is pronounced with some irony or slight irritation in order to justify some minor offense that goes against the norms of ethics and morality. This does not mean verbal skirmishes or other outrageous behavior, but parading naturalistic moments of human existence, which are not customary to speak aloud.

Justifying wrongdoings

To relieve a need in a crowded place or go out in an outfit that barely covers the intimate parts of the body - for one person, such actions are considered the height of shamelessness, while the other will only shrug his shoulders and grin: "What is natural is not ugly!" The meaning of the expression in such cases is understood rather narrowly, interpreted in the sense that one should not be embarrassed by the manifestations of one's essence, because nature created us that way. And she, as you know, does not have bad weather, absolute order and undivided harmony are observed in everything.

But can a person, considering himself the crown of creation, become like animals? Will blind adherence to the postulate “what is natural is not ugly” lead to the degradation of society and a return to primitiveness? Is it for the purpose of creating moral foundations over many millennia so that they can be so easily destroyed by a single phrase? Or maybe we misunderstand its meaning?

Teachings of ancient philosophers

The saying "what is natural is not ugly" was not born today, but around the fourth century BC. Whether the meaning that is implied now was invested in it is not known for certain. One can only assume that the ancient sages were trying to cover a broader scope of man's relationship with nature than the justification for public display of intimate needs.

Who owns the axiom "what is natural is not ugly"? Its author is none other than the outstanding ancient Roman philosopher and thinker Lucius Annei Seneca (the Younger). As a poet, statesman and adherent of Stoicism, Seneca firmly believed in the materiality of all things, while not denying the limitless possibilities of man in the knowledge of the laws of nature. Was the phrase expressed by him a principle of natural philosophy, the views of which the thinker adhered to? Or, perhaps, there was a condemnation of human weaknesses and base manifestations? There are more questions than answers, because even from the height of modern knowledgeunraveling the tangle of philosophical thought is almost impossible.

Words of comfort and encouragement to action

Recall Andersen's famous tale of the ugly duckling. If the clumsy chick, embarrassed by his appearance, had a kind mentor, he would surely cheer him up with the phrase: “Don't be upset, baby! What is natural is not ugly! The time will come and you will turn into a beautiful swan. In the meantime, enjoy what nature has given you!”

How to know? It is possible that the ugly duckling, inspired by such instruction, would have been much easier to endure the hardships that fell to his lot. Here the phrase takes on a completely different meaning, it does not sound like an excuse for ugliness and ugliness, but is a hymn to the laws of earthly perfection.