Why Beauty Matters

(and how it has been destroyed by "usability")

A short thread...

I want to make clear that this thread *isn't* about returning to the past.

This is strictly about the future.

But we shouldn't simply accept things because "that's the way there are."

The past teaches us that we can do better.

Why does beauty matter?

That sounds like a superfluous question, but in the 21st century it has become a vital one.

Before I try & give you an explanation, however, I think we should define beauty.

Beauty isn't just ornamentation for the sake of it.

That is garishness. That is luxury. That is vanity.

This is *not* beauty:

But compare these two train station bridges.

Both ordinary, everyday things.

One is beautiful, & the other is not.