# Can the colour black be seen as beautiful?
**URL:** https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876
**Category:** Society, Government, and Economics
**Created:** [December 3, 2007, 10:34am UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876 "2007-12-03T10:34:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 10:34am UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/1 "2007-12-03T10:34:03Z")
Black has always been associated with negation of some sorts. Black generally evokes the emotion of fear or death, evil, the opposite of white, the opposite of good, is it possible to argue for Black as a positive colour in our lives.
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### Author:  [@Impenitent](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Impenitent)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/2 "2007-12-03T11:33:40Z")
yes, black is beautiful.
then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder…
-Imp
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### Author:  [@Pandora](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Pandora)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/3 "2007-12-03T12:22:37Z")
I like black.
Black will complement any color.
It also accentuates shape.
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### Author:  [@Kriswest](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Kriswest)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/4 "2007-12-03T12:40:55Z")
Take a box of crayons, start with any color, make a patch of color on any color of paper even white. In any combination start coloring over that patch with all the other colors, That patch will turn black through a rainbow of hues and shades. Black is all the wonderful colors mixed together… Now try to do that to get white… Yep, it is white that is devoid of beauty, it is sterile, untouched and absolutely bland. Which would you say has more beauty? I vote black, Jet black to be specific.
Good and bad is pretty much like that too.
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### Author:  [@1Samuel8](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/1Samuel8)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/5 "2007-12-03T12:56:30Z")
Take white light and shine it through a prism to get a rainbow of all colors.
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### Author:  [@Faust](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Faust)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/6 "2007-12-03T14:44:43Z")
The example that comes to mind is the smokin’ hot babe in the black cocktail dress.
You can see her, right? The little blonde over there? With the soft leather (black) ankle boots?
Are you serious?
It’s a color.
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/7 "2007-12-03T16:50:47Z")
Yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the properties of black is more subliminal threatening and relevant to the behaviour of man as a colour, the colour works for us on many levels which we all agree on no doubt. It is not only a colour. As people we do not like being subjected to involuntary darkness. Blackness awakens our imagination to darkest thoughts or conscious thoughts or a conscious out of controlness with respect to thought. We get glimpses of our thought patterns or real nature. It is usually the level of imagination with respect to what’s under the cloth that inspires our sensuality in terms of black and fashion. Black can also be seen as a political or religious weapon. Jet Black is stunning but how easy would it be to alter the negative perception of the colour?
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### Author:  [@Kriswest](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Kriswest)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/8 "2007-12-03T17:03:35Z")
White light through a prism only shows the basic colors.
It all depends upon how your mind aproaches the problem of black. If you are in total darkness you remain unseen for the most part. Safe in its enveloping cold arms. Or you are alone and lost. One attitude brings comfort the other brings fear. White is used as a mourning color as well as black. Really it all depends upon how you aproach either.
If you want menacing, the color red throughout nature is the height of menacing and evil it creates a more frightening mindframe then black could ever do.[size=59].(oh hush, to those that know me, I know what you are thinking 😆 )[/size]
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/9 "2007-12-03T17:25:28Z")
> [@Kriswest](#):
>
> White light through a prism only shows the basic colors.
>
> It all depends upon how your mind aproaches the problem of black. If you are in total darkness you remain unseen for the most part. Safe in its enveloping cold arms. Or you are alone and lost. One attitude brings comfort the other brings fear. White is used as a mourning color as well as black. Really it all depends upon how you aproach either.
>
> If you want menacing, the color red throughout nature is the height of menacing and evil it creates a more frightening mindframe then black could ever do.[size=59].(oh hush, to those that know me, I know what you are thinking 😆 )[/size]
So Black can be white and white can be black? But that is for a small percantage of people no? I agree with you I like black, I find in a blackened room it can be very peaceful. Many wouldn’t however. Black spaces are used in torture chambers, although I do know that the futurists created multicoloured torture chambers in the 1920’s or so with furniture built to big or too small so it could it could not be used and used to drive the occupants quite mad.
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### Author:  [@discobomb](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/discobomb)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/10 "2007-12-03T18:05:14Z")
Goths think black is the only color there is.
Shaniqua thinks black is beautiful.
Whoever opposes angry goth kids and big black women is in trouble.
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### Author:  [@Mr\_Reasonable](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Mr_Reasonable)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/11 "2007-12-03T18:18:35Z")
The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
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### Author:  [@discobomb](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/discobomb)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/12 "2007-12-03T18:20:40Z")
Dat’s what I’m sayin’.
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### Author:  [@Mr\_Reasonable](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Mr_Reasonable)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/13 "2007-12-03T18:22:41Z")
The darker the flesh, the deeper the roots…
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### Author:  [@Faust](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Faust)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/14 "2007-12-03T19:05:21Z")
No pun intended, terry, but you could lighten up a bit.
It’s just a color.
Literary symbolism notwithstanding.
But those are just books and stuff.
Do you really have a negative perception of Jet Black?
Are there others like you out there?
Have you been in a sensory-deprivation chamber recently?
Does any instance of the color black cause thoughts of being enveloped in utter darkness?
Do you think maybe there is another way to react to someone’s black sweater, lying on the sofa?
I think you should get some help with this.
Seriously.
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/15 "2007-12-03T19:39:34Z")
> [@discobomb](#):
>
> Goths think black is the only color there is.
> Shaniqua thinks black is beautiful.
>
> Whoever opposes angry goth kids and big black women is in trouble.
Funny! you have a point! 😆 Goths are not to be messed with.
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/16 "2007-12-03T19:44:23Z")
> [@faust](#):
>
> No pun intended, terry, but you could lighten up a bit.
>
> It’s just a color.
>
> Literary symbolism notwithstanding.
>
> But those are just books and stuff.
>
> Do you really have a negative perception of Jet Black?
>
> Are there others like you out there?
>
> Have you been in a sensory-deprivation chamber recently?
>
> Does any instance of the color black cause thoughts of being enveloped in utter darkness?
>
> Do you think maybe there is another way to react to someone’s black sweater, lying on the sofa?
>
> I think you should get some help with this.
>
> Seriously.
Yes I do have a sense of humour excuse the intensity. I love the colour but it is generally interpreted as a negative. I could be completely mistaken but I am basing it on the past years of expereince. I am possibly staring into my black hole and my back is sore. And Black Holes how about that. Does the very prospect of that infinity not terrify you or are there too many numbers. The endlessness of the universe, the black infinity. Maybe it’s a religious thing? I don’t believe it is just a colour or at least you are right it is just a colour but have we not made it something else? The royal we that is we for hundreds of years.
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### Author:  [@Faust](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Faust)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 9:15pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/17 "2007-12-03T21:15:14Z")
terry - I am aware of the value. Be a philosopher - question all values. Revalue all vaues. But let the English Lit majors have their fun.
No, infinity doesn’t scare me. I am, fortunately, not smart enough to know what that word might truly mean. To me, it’s just another thing I can’t actually experience. Something to have fun with, maybe. Not a scary monster.
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/18 "2007-12-03T21:45:58Z")
> [@faust](#):
>
> terry - I am aware of the value. Be a philosopher - question all values. Revalue all vaues. But let the English Lit majors have their fun.
>
> No, infinity doesn’t scare me. I am, fortunately, not smart enough to know what that word might truly mean. To me, it’s just another thing I can’t actually experience. Something to have fun with, maybe. Not a scary monster.
So ok I’ll end on this and if you could answer it would be cool. Your not fearful discussing anything that’s cool I wish I could be like that. I choose black as a good colour or a positive colour and that is a choice and it’s about altering one’s perceptions but really do you not get me with this. I me you is one thing but can the world be persuaded to believe that black is positive as a colour and that it’s folklore/religious or political potency as a colour can be reversed?
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### Author:  [@Faust](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/Faust)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/19 "2007-12-03T22:29:06Z")
Well, terry, if you want to make that your life’s goal, I say “go for it”. There’s no reason why you can’t be successful. I have complete confidence in you.
Keep us posted.
You’ll need a cool website. Many here can testify that I am certainly not an authority on that.
Maybe you should have a contest to find a cool name for it. Helps build grassroots support and engenders a sense of ownership among the populace.
Maybe read Ernst Werklempter’s insightful but disturbing “Beyond Black and White”, wherein he discusses many of the points you have raised, while predicting the future of photography.
Or his monumental but childish “Twilight of the Dusk”.
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### Author:  [@terry33](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/u/terry33)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ilovephilosophy.com/t/can-the-colour-black-be-seen-as-beautiful/18876/20 "2007-12-03T22:50:57Z")
Thanks for the constructive posts everyone and the book reading tips I will examine closely.
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