The Artful Thinker: Rediscovering the World Through a Philosophical Lens

Abang Edwin Syarif Agustin
4 min readAug 2, 2024
Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

I remember the first time I encountered philosophy. It was during my undergraduate years, a fleeting introduction that piqued my curiosity but didn’t quite capture my heart. Little did I know that this initial spark would eventually ignite a passionate flame.

My true love affair with philosophy began unexpectedly during my master’s program. Among the array of courses offered, one stood out like a beacon of intrigue: Art Philosophy. As I stepped into that classroom, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my perspective on the world.

Immanuel Kant

The course began with an exploration of aesthetics, delving into questions that had always lingered in the back of my mind. What makes something beautiful? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder, or are there universal standards? We discussed Immanuel Kant’s “Critique of Judgment,” where he argues that judgments of beauty are subjective yet universal. This concept fascinated me — the idea that our personal experiences of beauty could somehow connect us all.

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Abang Edwin Syarif Agustin

Observer, Content Creator, Blogger (Obviously), Ghostwriter, Design Thinker, Trainer and also Lecturer for Product Design Dept at Podomoro University