Social skønhed - det sociale livs æstetik og kunsten at skabe samfund med fremmede
(2026) SOCM05 20261Sociology
- Abstract
- This thesis reconstructs a concept of social beauty from the sociological aesthetics of Georg Simmel in order to explore its normative potential for a critique of late-modern forms of sociality. The thesis makes four principal contributions. First, it develops a concept of social beauty as a distinct experience of social integration and vitality emerging in interactions between strangers. These interactions are understood as a form of social art, unfolding through improvised variations on often trivial themes and resembling the coordinated interplay of a musical ensemble. Second, the thesis situates social beauty in relation to modernity, arguing that it constitutes a paradigmatic modern form of social life and offers an answer to the... (More)
- This thesis reconstructs a concept of social beauty from the sociological aesthetics of Georg Simmel in order to explore its normative potential for a critique of late-modern forms of sociality. The thesis makes four principal contributions. First, it develops a concept of social beauty as a distinct experience of social integration and vitality emerging in interactions between strangers. These interactions are understood as a form of social art, unfolding through improvised variations on often trivial themes and resembling the coordinated interplay of a musical ensemble. Second, the thesis situates social beauty in relation to modernity, arguing that it constitutes a paradigmatic modern form of social life and offers an answer to the question of how society is possible. Third, it is argued that social beauty – as an experience of mediation between individual and society, where one takes part in an aesthetically unfolding totality – is a source of social energy and as such possesses normative value. Finally, the thesis outlines a critique of how the possibility of such experiences is increasingly constrained in late modernity, proposing the thesis that social beauty is under pressure where content takes precedence over form.
By introducing the concept of social beauty, the thesis seeks to make visible subtle yet indispensable forms of interaction that sustain social life but often remain unnoticed. And against perspectives that reduce beauty to a privilege of the few, the thesis argues that social beauty constitutes a fundamental human need and an essential resource for both individual flourishing and collective life. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9238233
- author
- Lauritsen, Janus Elmstrøm LU
- supervisor
-
- Bo Isenberg LU
- organization
- course
- SOCM05 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Social beauty, modernity, Georg Simmel, sociological aesthetics, social energy, sociability
- language
- Danish
- id
- 9238233
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-22 10:33:25
- date last changed
- 2026-06-22 10:33:25
@misc{9238233,
abstract = {{This thesis reconstructs a concept of social beauty from the sociological aesthetics of Georg Simmel in order to explore its normative potential for a critique of late-modern forms of sociality. The thesis makes four principal contributions. First, it develops a concept of social beauty as a distinct experience of social integration and vitality emerging in interactions between strangers. These interactions are understood as a form of social art, unfolding through improvised variations on often trivial themes and resembling the coordinated interplay of a musical ensemble. Second, the thesis situates social beauty in relation to modernity, arguing that it constitutes a paradigmatic modern form of social life and offers an answer to the question of how society is possible. Third, it is argued that social beauty – as an experience of mediation between individual and society, where one takes part in an aesthetically unfolding totality – is a source of social energy and as such possesses normative value. Finally, the thesis outlines a critique of how the possibility of such experiences is increasingly constrained in late modernity, proposing the thesis that social beauty is under pressure where content takes precedence over form.
By introducing the concept of social beauty, the thesis seeks to make visible subtle yet indispensable forms of interaction that sustain social life but often remain unnoticed. And against perspectives that reduce beauty to a privilege of the few, the thesis argues that social beauty constitutes a fundamental human need and an essential resource for both individual flourishing and collective life.}},
author = {{Lauritsen, Janus Elmstrøm}},
language = {{dan}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Social skønhed - det sociale livs æstetik og kunsten at skabe samfund med fremmede}},
year = {{2026}},
}