At some point, most people encounter someone whose sense of style, fashion, or decor feels consistently off. At first, this is easy to dismiss as a matter of preference. Taste is subjective, we tell ourselves. But when poor taste recurs across different contexts, it raises a more unsettling question. What exactly is taste? How does good taste develop? Why do some people seem unable to acquire it? Good taste is often misunderstood as trend awareness or personal expression. In reality, it is something far more restrained and disciplined. Good taste is the ability to recognize proportion, coherence, and intention within a given context. It reflects an understanding of relationships between elements rather than attachment to any single element. People with good taste notice balance, scale, rhythm, and absence. They sense when something is excessive, distracts from its purpose, or draws attention to itself unnecessarily. Most importantly, they adapt their choices to context. What works in o...
The difference between holiness and perfection is often blurred in modern theology, yet both Scripture and classical philosophy treat them as distinct concepts that answer fundamentally different questions. At its core, perfection concerns completeness or fulfillment. In the classical tradition associated with Aristotle and later Aquinas, perfection is teleological, meaning it is end-directed. A thing is perfect when it fully actualizes what it is meant to be. Perfection is therefore comparative and measurable relative to a standard, and it answers a specific question. Is anything missing? A perfect circle lacks none of the properties required to be a circle. A perfect knife fulfills its cutting purpose without deficiency. This understanding aligns closely with the New Testament’s use of the Greek word teleios (τέλειος), which means complete, mature, or brought to its intended end. Jesus uses this term in Matthew 5:48 (NIV), which says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father...