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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: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 24 2019, @05:43PM (3 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Thursday January 24 2019, @05:43PM (#791318) Journal

    Don't worry, the first laser razor malfunctions, will only cause permanent scarring or death.

    --
    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 takyon on Thursday January 24 2019, @06:35PM (2 children)

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Thursday January 24 2019, @06:35PM (#791362) Journal

    Fuck everything, I don't care about the risk, I want it.

    No more shaving micro-abrasions plz.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 24 2019, @08:25PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 24 2019, @08:25PM (#791416)

      Straight razors are nice for getting a smooth shave. Why don't you just get laser hair removal?

    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday January 25 2019, @02:19AM

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Friday January 25 2019, @02:19AM (#791570) Homepage Journal

      First off, how do you plan on wooling around the shark to adjust the angle to get around the fiddly bits?

      Second, wuss.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.