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posted by martyb on Thursday January 24 2019, @02:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the With-great-beard-comes-great-responsibility dept.

Philosophers deal with real, empirical, questions! From Quartzy, the ethical question of male facial hair.

Those who believe growing a beard is a personal fashion choice need to reconsider. The bristly facial hair of men is, in fact, the physical embodiment of deep ethical and aesthetic considerations. Henry Pratt, philosophy professor at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, wrote a detailed analysis of such philosophical conundrums in his aptly titled paper, “To Beard or Not to Beard: Ethical and Aesthetic Obligations and Facial Hair.”

Why now: well, it all goes back to the "fool says in his heart" guy, St. Anselm.

In this paper, presented at the January 2019 eastern division meeting of the American Philosophical Association in New York, Pratt considers the premise set out by Saint Anselm of Canterbury, an 11th century philosopher. Anselm writes:

Not having a beard is not dishonorable for a man who is not yet supposed to have a beard, but once he ought to have a beard, it is unbecoming for him not to have one. In the same way, not having justice is not a defect in a nature that is not obligated to have justice, but it is disgraceful for a nature that ought to have it.

The take-away:

However, one surprising consequence of my philosophical work on pogonotrophy is that I now find myself thinking that the choices made by myself and others about what to grow on our faces are actually pretty important. I find myself wondering whether I should worry about the masculinity projected by my beard, and the effects thereof. I also consider whether friends and associates should have the facial hair they grow. But just as it’s a bad idea to tell other parents they’re raising their kids wrong, I think it’s a bad idea to tell others that their beards are wrong. So far.

Other relevant sources:
The Philosophy of Beards: A Lecture Physiological, Artistic and Historical, by Thomas Gowing; 1875;
The Philosopher’s Beard
Beard Taxes!
The Gentleman Lawyer’s Guide to Facial Hair
"Law of Conservation of Facial Hair" still applies.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Thursday January 24 2019, @05:40PM (3 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Thursday January 24 2019, @05:40PM (#791317) Journal

    You're deluding yourself, if you think the last half of your post is true. I watched the video and actually think they did a pretty good job, all things considered. Though, really, there should have been an instance or two of black men as the problem as well. As opposed to them being shown as the only ethnicity of men to stand up for women. Pretty much black men were being lifted high, while all the others were being thrown under the bus. Which definitely doesn't reflect reality. "Boys will be boys" is true to an extent, but condoning fist fights is ludicrous. Boys have their own set of hormones they have to deal with. Just like Girls have their own set of hormones they have to deal with. The difference is that Girls generally get the loving supportive shoulder to cry on. While boys get a swift kick in the pants. That's definitely wrong. Boys and girls both need support and to be taught to deal with their emotions in a positive manner.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday January 24 2019, @06:13PM (2 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Thursday January 24 2019, @06:13PM (#791342) Journal

    Agreed. And who is doing this to boys? Other men and other boys, for the most part. This is why my feminism includes a place for men in it.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 25 2019, @04:37AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 25 2019, @04:37AM (#791609)

      Apparently you've never met my mom.

      • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday January 25 2019, @07:07AM

        by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday January 25 2019, @07:07AM (#791649) Journal

        If she's doing that, that's abuse, and frankly it's also misandry. I'm not one of those people who believes women can do no wrong by nature, if that helps; I've seen plenty of them willfully perpetuate the harmful effects of the kyriarchy/patriarchy, for reasons I can't even begin to guess at.

        --
        I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...