St. Thomas Aquinas

Let's imagine for a minute, shall we? Let's pretend that this is not merely a blog, but an argument. And let's say, shall we, that myself and Precious are the participants.

checkitmyles (8:25:04 PM): if we define "concept" as something that is intangible, then beauty, in essence, is a concept
checkitmyles (8:25:05 PM): correct?
"Precious" (8:27:14 PM): yeah
checkitmyles (8:27:36 PM): it also can be said that "numbers" are concepts, because you cannot "touch" a number
"Precious" (8:27:48 PM): true
checkitmyles (8:28:22 PM): so if we take what Thomas Aquinas said as true, then there is a perfect beauty because it is a concept. likewise, there must be a "perfect" number
"Precious" (8:32:52 PM): ok
checkitmyles (8:33:38 PM): however, everyone has different "perfect" numbers. my number of choice is either 3 or 15. my dad's is 22. would you agree that we each have different numbers of choice?
"Precious" (8:33:51 PM): yes
checkitmyles (8:34:26 PM): now would you also agree that people have different ideas as to what perfect beauty is?
checkitmyles (8:34:47 PM): our loved ones/spouses would be good examples, no?
"Precious" (8:34:58 PM): yeah
checkitmyles (8:35:50 PM): so it then follows that there is no one "perfect" beauty, that, as margaret wolfe hungerford so elegantly put it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder
"Precious" (8:36:07 PM): yep
checkitmyles (8:36:47 PM): which then disproves the idea of a "perfect" beauty, because each person has their own ideas as to what a "perfect" beauty looks like
"Precious" (8:37:13 PM): yeah
checkitmyles (8:38:03 PM): which would then lead us to believe that each "concept" has their own perfections. a perfect "goodness" a perfect "knowledge" etc
"Precious" (8:38:35 PM): yeah i see wut u mean
checkitmyles (8:39:15 PM): which, then follows, that no one being could attain all of these perfections (there are over 6 billion souls on earth alone, let alone those in the heavens), unless they look/act/think completely differently among the different individuals
"Precious" (8:43:24 PM): yeah

If you don't understand what just happened above, then here is a summary. Concepts like beauty, goodness, knowledge, they are intangible. You cannot measure them. You can try to, yes, but you cannot truly measure them. Because we cannot measure them and give a definite value of each person's/thing's beauty, goodness, knowledge, then these concepts are in the eye of the beholder. As Margaret Wolfe Hungerford said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thus, there cannot be one, singular perfect. In my mind, Anne Hathaway is the prettiest actress alive (not sexiest, not hottest, but prettiest). I guarantee you, that in our core class alone, there will be, a minimum of 15 differing opinions. We all have a different idea as to what a perfect "beauty" is. Maybe I like smaller noses. Maybe someone else likes fuller lips (Angelina Jolie, anyone?). Maybe another person likes attached earlobes, and someone else likes detached earlobes. This is why everyone is unique, so that there is someone who is perfect for you. God cannot be the perfect beauty, goodness, knowledge, etc. The only way that is possible is if God looks/acts/thinks different when around different individuals to match their "perfection." Which then gets screwed up when God is around two totally different people. I could go on. I choose not to because I think you get the picture. Either God cannot attain ALL perfections (think about how many people in the last 100 years made it into Heaven alone, how is he going to be ALL of these perfections) or he is a two-faced God who acts differently around everyone.

If Bruce were to respond, he'd say "But God can do that Myles. Because he is God, he can be all those perfections, because God is the embodiment of perfection." Or something to that effect. To which I say, I don't buy that. I don't have an argument in return, exactly, but I don't believe that hardly-tested hypothesis.