At the base of the universe is matter. Everything that exists in the universe can be broken down into matter. Matter has many intrinsic properties. Beauty, as a property of matter, is definite and objective. Particle matter can be arranged into forms that contain beauty. Beauty is not the capacity of matter to please. It is, rather, an objective property of being. Everything that exists is either beautiful or not beautiful.

Beauty does not exist to any degree. Two things that are not beautiful cannot be juxtaposed so that one may be classified as "more beautiful" than the other, as the only relevant characteristic is the lack of beauty. However, humans feel the need to differentiate between separate arrangements of matter in terms of pleasing capacity. One piece of art that is not beautiful may be more aesthetically pleasing than another piece of art that is not beautiful. However, pleasing capacity is purely subjective. The primary problem in defining beauty is that as emotional humans, we believe that the capacity to please is paramount. Thus, "capacity to please" is confused with "beauty." Humans can individually define matter's capacity to please based on their personal affiliation with that matter. If the matter was arranged by a loved one, or if we feel some ability to relate to the content of the matter, then we deem the matter "pleasurable." When matter is arranged is aesthetically "pleasurable" patterns, it is deemed "art." The problem with this is that anyone can deem patterns of matter as pleasurable, causing a gross mislabeling of non-beautiful matter arrangements as art. If humans were to put aside all of their affiliations and biases towards "art," they would quickly realize that a great deal of it is not beautiful.

At a molecular level, therefore, art is made up of the same things that make up everything else. The printed word is a result of carbon impacts on paper, or microdroplets of carbon-based colloids. Music is a result of vibrating air. Paintings are a result of streaks of metal-based pigments. The enjoyment level derived from the interpretation of this chemical existence has no bearing on whether the piece is beautiful. Thus beauty is really intangible and immeasurable. Like so many other properties of matter, humans will never be able to fully determine whether or not something possesses beauty. The only real qualification that humans can make is whether the "art" is pleasing.

Beauty is simply one more of the enigmas of human existence. Philosophers, art critics, and students alike should be careful to emphasize that they are not judging whether a work of art possesses beauty, but rather whether or not that work of art pleases them aesthetically and emotionally. The difference is vast and greatly important. Therefore, as far as pragmatists and realists are concerned, beauty does not exist, since it has no physical manifestation. Art can be appreciated regardless of beauty; the challenge is for humans to accept the lack of beauty in the physical world.