Simple Beauty

I argue that some simple things are aesthetically valuable, or beautiful. I give an account of simple beauty as beauty in simplicity. I then address some suspicions about simple beauty. Some people allege that simple beauty is at odds with aesthetic agency. In fact, I argue, simple beauty promotes certain kinds of aesthetic agency. Others allege that simple things do not warrant sustained appreciation. I argue that simple beauties present existential truths that warrant sustained awareness because of their importance and our forgetfulness.