Eli Siegel wrote Definitions, and Comment: Being a Description of the World in 1945, and it is serialized in the journal The Right of Aesthetic Realism to Be Known. In this work he defines and comments on 134 words—among them, Thing, Romance, Space, Courage, Surprise, Aspect, and History. And his discussions, while strictly and richly philosophic, are also exciting, deeply moving, kind, and sometimes humorous. Mr. Siegel’s respect for words and honesty about them are central to the coming-to-be and exactitude of the philosophy Aesthetic Realism. He writes in his preface: “The purpose of these definitions is to have reality seen more clearly by having the opposites in reality seen more clearly—which is also more kindly, truly, and usefully.” The following are his definitions of, and comments on, Reality, Truth, Aesthetics, Success, and Everydayness.
REALITY
"Reality is all that which can affect one."
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AESTHETICS
"Aesthetics is the showing of an object in such a way that the difference
and sameness of reality as a whole is seen in that object, with difference
and sameness as beginning opposites."
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EVERYDAYNESS
"Everydayness is the feeling of existence as close, expected, customary."
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SUCCESS
"Success is the coming to be of one's purpose."
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TRUTH
"Truth is the having of a thing as it is, in mind."
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