Aesthetic Property
- Peter K F Cheung SBS
- Jan 19, 2022
- 2 min read
FADE IN.
Act 1
EXT. TUEN MUN HIGHWAY - 22:00
Driving his coupe towards Kowloon, PETER sees the rising moon in the cloudless sky.
PETER (V.O.): Just the moon and the night.
Gazing while driving.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Both appeal to me on my way back to my urban home.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The moon isn't full, but it stays big. Without the cool night, it wouldn't look warm and bright.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.): I feel charmed by their partnership.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
INT. STUDY - 10:00 (Earlier today)
Peter is reading Philosophy.
PETER (V.O.): While my mind is fresh in the morning, I like to read and think about something that requires mental capacity.
Reading and thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Beauty can be something that's simple and indefinable. People know it intuitively.
Reading and thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Beauty can also be something that's capable of producing a pleasant experience to any perceivers.
Reading and thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Objective criteria like order, symmetry and proportion count. Everybody has the same judgment on beauty.
Reading and thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Or beauty can only be found in the eye of the beholder.
Reading and thinking.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If so, beauty isn't based on any specific qualities of the thing but depends on the pleasure it gives to a particular person.
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): What's the nature of beauty and pleasurable experience then?
SEQUENCE OF PETER'S EVENTS LATER
A. Car park. Peter starts a silver coupe. No crank. After further attempts, we hear cranking sounds.
B. Battery shop. A STAFF is installing a new green battery in the coupe. When Peter starts the coupe, it responds swiftly.
C. Peter's NT home. Opening the hood of the coupe, Peter takes a photo of its V-6 Engine and the green battery.
END SEQUENCE
INT. LAKESIDE RESTAURANT - AFTERNOON
Enjoying his tea set, Peter is staring at the image of the car engine and with the new battery on his smartphone screen.
PETER (V.O.): Are they beautiful, conceptually?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But how would others know by intuition?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Many won't share my perception that they've any aesthetic property.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But to me, they're beautiful. Why?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): My 1800cc coupe has got a V-6 engine. It's unprecedented.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Together with the new green battery, I feel energized in my coupe - a pleasurable experience.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I decide what's beautiful.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I'm right, aesthetics shouldn't be a branch of philosophical inquiry.
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 3
EXT. TUEN MUN HIGHWAY - 20:10
Having negotiated a bend, the moon re-appears from behind the hills.
PETER (V.O.): It's big, bright and lovely. It lights my senses.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): But if people don't have the aesthetic attitude, would they appreciate the moon's beauty and get the aesthetic experience?
Pondering.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Do people need the aesthetic attitude at all? That's another philosophical inquiry.
The moon is out of Peter's sight.
THE END.
FADE OUT
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