"Make the Universe a Little More Beautiful" Aspiration

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A "Make the Universe a Little More Beautiful" Aspiration is a long-term achievement-oriented personal aspiration that is a beauty enhancement pursuit that seeks to enhance beauty within the universe.

References

2025-05-10

[1] https://www.theithacan.org/6417/lit/welcome-to-the-monkey-house/
[2] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/697177/world-more-beautiful-by-angela-burke-kunkel-illustrated-by-becca-stadtlander/
[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/City-Beautiful-movement
[4] https://caringmagazine.org/create-beauty-spread-good/
[5] https://aeon.co/essays/how-the-search-for-beauty-drives-scientific-enquiry
[6] https://dornsife.usc.edu/iacs/2023/04/06/beauty-in-science/
[7] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/beauty/
[8] https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~jhaidt/articles/haidt.2003.elevation-and-positive-psychology.pub026.html
[9] https://michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/environmentalism/exhibits/show/main_exhibit/origins
[10] https://sammamishfriends.org/john-muir-quotes/
[11] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/11/22/kindness/

2025

From an existentialist standpoint, the ambition to make the universe more beautiful represents a profound exercise in human freedom, meaning-making, and defiance against meaninglessness. This perspective draws on key existentialist thinkers who, while differing in approach, converge on the idea that meaning is not inherent in the universe but must be created through authentic human action. Radical Freedom and Responsibility (Sartre) Jean-Paul Sartre would view beautifying the world as an exercise in radical freedom. His assertion that "existence precedes essence" means humans have no predefined purpose—we must freely choose our projects and values. In choosing to create beauty, a person exercises their freedom by adopting a self-determined purpose rather than one dictated by society or fate. With this freedom comes total responsibility. By committing to beautify the world, one implicitly affirms beauty as a value not just for oneself but potentially for all humanity. As Sartre notes, "in fashioning myself, I fashion man." This perspective transforms what might seem like a personal aesthetic preference into a moral stance: the beautifier says, "This is how life ought to be lived." Authenticity in this pursuit means acknowledging that the choice is entirely one's own—avoiding "bad faith" by pretending one was destined to be an artist or creator. The authentic individual owns both the freedom of choice and the responsibility for seeing it through, pouring genuine effort into the project because it springs from their core values. The Absurd and Defiance (Camus) Albert Camus would approach beautification from the perspective of the absurd—the clash between our human longing for meaning and the "unreasonable silence of the world." In an indifferent universe, the effort to make things beautiful might seem paradoxical. Yet Camus's answer lies in defiance and revolt. Even if the universe is cold or chaotic, humans can refuse to surrender to meaninglessness. We revolt by creating our own meaning through action, creativity, and love of life. This is exemplified in Camus's myth of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a boulder uphill eternally. Camus imagines Sisyphus happy, finding meaning in the struggle itself: "The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart." Applied to beauty-making, this means that the attempt to beautify an indifferent world is itself a noble defiance. The person who plants flowers in a blighted urban lot or composes music amid personal tragedy asserts rebellious hope, saying: "The world might be ugly or chaotic, but I will still create something beautiful." This doesn't eliminate the absurd—but it transforms our experience of life through creative resistance against despair. Ethics and Transcendence (de Beauvoir) Simone de Beauvoir adds another dimension: the importance of engaging with others and transcending oneself. For de Beauvoir, our projects take place in an intersubjective human world—we don't create beauty in isolation but among other people. Making the world more beautiful becomes an ethical project—a way of relating to others and improving our shared environment. Beauty can liberate people from despair by appealing to their imagination and emotions. A community art project, for instance, doesn't just beautify a neighborhood; it often engages local people, giving them agency in shaping their surroundings. De Beauvoir also introduces "transcendence"—the ability to go beyond given circumstances and create something new. Beautifying the world exemplifies transcendence: it takes mundane or ugly reality and infuses it with new meaning. The urban planner who transforms an abandoned lot into a vibrant park transcends the status quo, improving others' lives through creative vision. Importantly, de Beauvoir warns against the "aesthetic attitude" of detached contemplation. True fulfillment comes from projects that are engaged and collaborative. The existentialist committed to beautification shouldn't be an aloof dreamer but an active participant using beauty as a form of meaningful engagement with the world. Broader Existentialist Insights Other existentialist thinkers provide complementary perspectives: Kierkegaard distinguished between the aesthetic life (pursuing beauty for personal pleasure) and the ethical life (commitment to principles beyond oneself). A meaningful beauty-making project moves beyond self-indulgence toward ethical engagement—creating beauty that serves others or higher purposes. Nietzsche emphasized art and beauty as life-affirming forces in a world without absolute truths. "Man believes that the world itself is filled with beauty—he forgets that it is he who has created it," he wrote. This perspective empowers the beauty-maker: nothing is beautiful until we make it so. By imposing form and meaning onto chaos, we exercise the "will to power" in its most creative sense. Heidegger saw true art as revealing hidden truths about existence. "Beauty is a fateful gift of the essence of truth," he wrote, suggesting that authentic beauty-making isn't about surface appeal but about revealing something profound. A project of beautification aligns with bringing truths to light in luminous ways—helping others experience moments of authentic insight or connection. Living the Ambition Practically speaking, an existentialist approach to making the universe more beautiful involves: Embracing freedom: Recognizing this goal as your freely chosen purpose, taking full responsibility for bringing it about through daily choices and actions. Finding meaning in the process: Accepting there is no ultimate "perfect beauty" to achieve, but finding fulfillment in each creative act, however modest. Engaging with others: Collaborating and sharing beauty in community, recognizing that working with others multiplies impact and keeps one authentic. Balancing aesthetics and ethics: Creating beauty that also makes life concretely better—art that heals, inspires, unites, or provokes meaningful reflection. Maintaining authenticity: Resisting nihilism by choosing to make beauty matter, reflecting honestly on motives, and adjusting course when needed. The existentialist perspective ultimately offers both challenge and encouragement to anyone seeking to beautify the universe. It acknowledges the difficulty—freedom can be dizzying, the world can be indifferent—yet affirms that our creative acts of beauty-making are meaningful precisely because we choose to make them so. Through freedom, defiance, ethical engagement, and authentic creativity, the ambition to make the universe more beautiful becomes not just a dream but a lived reality, piece by beautiful piece.

2024

  • Perplexity
    • In our fast-paced world, it's easy to overlook the small ways we can contribute to making the Universe a little more beautiful. Here are some meaningful actions you can take to add beauty and positivity to the world around you:
    • Cultivate Beauty in Nature: Start by nurturing the natural world in your immediate surroundings:
      • Plant flowers or trees in your garden or community spaces.
      • Create a small herb garden on your windowsill or balcony.
      • Participate in local park or beach clean-up efforts.
    • Spread Kindness: Small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect, creating beauty in human interactions:
      • Offer genuine compliments to strangers and loved ones alike.
      • Volunteer at local charities or community organizations.
      • Perform random acts of kindness, like paying for a stranger's coffee.
    • Create and Appreciate Art: Art in all its forms can add beauty to the world:
      • Take up a creative hobby like painting, photography, or music.
      • Support local artists by attending exhibitions or purchasing their work.
      • Share your own artistic creations, no matter how amateur, with others.
    • Mindful Living: Cultivate beauty in your daily life through mindfulness:
      • Practice gratitude by keeping a journal of beautiful moments you encounter each day.
      • Reduce waste and adopt more sustainable habits to preserve the planet's beauty.
      • Take time to appreciate the small wonders around you, like a sunset or a child's laughter.
    • Spread Positivity Online: In our digital age, you can make the online world more beautiful:
      • Share uplifting content and stories on social media.
      • Engage in constructive conversations and avoid spreading negativity.
      • Use your online presence to support causes that make the world more beautiful.

2023

  • GPT-4
    • Q: Could you please try to describe the existentialist perspective on a personal ambition to make the universe a little more beautiful?
    • A: From an existentialist perspective, a personal ambition to make the universe a little more beautiful can be seen as a way of finding meaning and purpose in life. Existentialists believe that life has no inherent meaning and that it is up to each individual to create their own meaning and purpose.

Thus, pursuing a personal ambition to make the universe a little more beautiful can be seen as a way of giving one's life meaning and purpose. It can provide a sense of direction and fulfillment, as the individual works towards a goal that is personally meaningful and important to them. At the same time, an existentialist might also recognize that such an ambition is ultimately subjective and that what one person finds beautiful may not be the same for another. This can lead to an acceptance and appreciation of diversity and the unique perspectives and goals of others. Ultimately, the existentialist perspective on a personal ambition to make the universe a little more beautiful suggests that it is a valuable and fulfilling way to find meaning and purpose in life, as long as it is pursued authentically and with a sense of self-awareness and acceptance of the inherent subjectivity of such pursuits.

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