From Plato’s ideal forms to Kant’s aesthetics of the sublime, philosophers have theorised beauty at length. In contrast ugliness remains a much neglected, yet also profoundly revealing, concept.
HLG Offsite Talk
Thursday 27 November 2025, 2.30pm
A philosophers guide to ugliness
From Plato’s ideal forms to Kant’s aesthetics of the sublime, philosophers have theorised beauty at length. In contrast ugliness remains a much neglected, yet also profoundly revealing, concept. This talk explores ugliness not merely as the absence of beauty, but as a rich and complex phenomenon that challenges our ethical and aesthetic assumptions. Drawing on contemporary thinkers and developments in art and design it examines how ugliness operates both as a judgement of moral failure and social exclusion but remains a potent and creative political weapon. The talk will also consider contemporary trends in ugliness from fashion to digital culture.
Lecturer: Dr. Connell Vaughan, School of Art and Design, TU Dublin
Location: City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Conference room in lower ground floor level.
Free, advance booking required via Eventbrite from 1 November onwards or come along on the day subject to availability.
