Create a Beautiful Life
through the Art of Self-Cultivation
The Beautiful Soul is a cultural organisation fostering the art of self-cultivation. Our work is grounded in the 18th century tradition of the Beautiful Soul. We revive this philosophy and the salon culture in which it was enacted to apply its timeless wisdom for human happiness and flourishing today.
“The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth.”
Practicing the Beautiful Soul
““Everyone thinks of changing the world but no one thinks of changing himself.” ”
A Salon on the Beautiful Soul
The Beautiful Soul
A Practical Philosophy Reinvented for our World Today
On Life as a Work of Art
On The Beautiful Soul
An Ancient Tradition for Creating a Beautiful Life
The Beautiful Soul is a philosophical tradition of the Enlightenment and Romantic eras, inspired by ancient Greek ideas, developed by the poets Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller.
The Beautiful Soul suggests that beauty, goodness, and truth are the ends towards which life should be directed. This philosophy argues that social progress must occur on an individual level by improving the condition of one’s character through the appreciation of beauty and aspiring towards moral and intellectual betterment.
The Beautiful Soul offers an optimistic vision for reaching one’s full potential, finding happiness and meaning in life, and positively shaping society as a compassionate, rational, and well-informed citizen.
On Salon Culture
A Vibrant Conversation Space for Social and Intellectual Exchange
Salons bring individuals together to engage in the art of conversation to advance knowledge and fellowship. A salonnière facilitates discussion on a selected topic in the arts, sciences, culture, philosophy, or politics.
Salon culture began in 16th century Italy and blossomed in 18th century France. Salons were founded on principles of equality, tolerance, and freedom of expression. They played a critical role in the development of a democratic public sphere in Europe and were the catalyst for important intellectual and artistic movements.
The Connection
Beautiful Souls are Cultivated within Salons
Inspired by the idealism of the Beautiful Soul’s philosophy and its faith in human potential, celebrated German-Jewish salonnières of post-revolutionary Berlin, such as Henriette Herz and Rahel Varnhagen, strove to bring a more beautiful humanity into being. These salonnières saw this philosophy as a force for emancipation and unity in a world fragmented by social divisions. They created a space for people to practice the Beautiful Soul with others, self-cultivating through the arts and conversation within their salons.
Why Today?
A Renaissance of Virtues & Ideals
In a global culture riven by superficiality, loneliness, mob mentalities, and incendiary politics, cultivating a beautiful soul is a lost art form. We believe that leading a good life and creating a more enlightened society begins by observing our own character weaknesses and improving them, transforming ourselves into more beautiful souls for the greater social good.
““The beautiful is not different from the good: The beautiful is the good which shows itself to us pleasingly veiled.””
A Short History of the Philosophy of the Beautiful Soul
Read our Book to Learn More…
Reviving the Beautiful Soul
Self-Cultivation in Theory & Practice
On the Pursuit of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth
Our Work
Reviving the Beautiful Soul
We share our research on the philosophy of the Beautiful Soul and how to practice its principles for personal happiness and human flourishing today. The art of self-cultivation is enacted within our salons in curated conversations that challenge individuals to think deeply about ideas and what constitutes a good life.
Our Research & History
Theory & Practice
Founder Justine Kolata is a Yale University (B.A) and University of Cambridge ( Ph.D.) educated writer and philosopher of the Beautiful Soul and salon culture. Her doctoral dissertation “Bildung, The Beautiful Soul, and the German Enlightenment Salon” was published by Cambridge University. Drawing upon her scholarly expertise and experience organising salons since 2013, she founded The Beautiful Soul to revive the practice of this philosophy.
Justine’s book In Pursuit of the Beautiful Soul is now available.
Our Approach
A Universal Philosophy for our World Today
We apply our research on the Beautiful Soul and its history, elaborating upon this philosophy to fit modern realities. Although our work is grounded in an 18th century European cultural tradition, we also draw inspiration from Chinese, Indian, and Japanese philosophy, among other knowledge systems.
““If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.””
A Renaissance of Salon Culture
A past salon series at Smedmore House, Jurassic Coast, United Kingdom
On the Art of Conversation
Justine’s Salon
We revive the Enlightenment tradition of salon culture, hosting philosophy salons and music soirées for the visionaries of our age. Our salons bring artists, intellectuals, politicians, musicians, and scientists, among others, together to discuss ideas and engage in the art of conversation. Topics range from questions on morality and aesthetics to culture and world affairs. Past speakers have included acclaimed opera singers, arctic explorers, moral philosophers, transhumanist scientists, maximum security prison guards, and one of the world’s most notorious art forgers.
Our salons are free events, open to the public. In lieu of a ticket we encourage those who are able to make a donation to our Fauna & Flora International campaign.
We host a regular salon in London and salon festivals and special events throughout Europe.
Invitation Request
You may request an invitation to Justine’s salon by introducing yourself by email:
contact@thebeautifulsoul.co
Our Offerings
Beautiful Soul Mentorship & Salons
On Character Development
& Therapy for the Soul
Beautiful Soul Mentorship
We offer “therapy for the soul,” mentorship in the art of self-cultivation. We employ our Socratic salon method which uses thoughtful questioning to arrive at greater self-knowledge. This process resembles therapy, but instead of focusing on psychological questions, the emphasis is on character development. Mentorship includes: overview on the philosophy of the Beautiful Soul, discussion of key principles on the art of self-cultivation, and personalised guidance on how to practice this philosophy to create a beautiful life.
Mentorship may be arranged in person, via zoom, or as a residential course in beautiful locations around the world.
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Our Beautiful Soul mentorship is for those interested in developing their character and intellect to become a more knowledgeable and cultured person.
Our private mentorship focuses on character development. We employ the Beautiful Soul’s philosophical framework to help individuals excel in their personal and professional lives. Our personalised sessions are tailored to the areas in which our clients would most like to improve themselves to reach their goals and aspirations.
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We offer mentorship for children whose parents desire them to be cultivated beyond standard schooling in order to reach their full potential as adults, to learn skills on how to improve themselves that will serve them for life, and to facilitate entry into institutions of higher education.
Our approach is grounded in educational traditions of past centuries when students were expected to become culturally and artistically informed, and excel in various disciplines, while refining their character and conduct to achieve excellence and become exemplary members of society.
This all-encompassing educational process is essential in a hyper-competitive world in which it no longer suffices to be proficient in one discipline; one must excel in many spheres of life to prosper. The expectations of society are great, yet cultivating the whole individual to achieve both personal fulfillment and objective success is rarely considered. We have created our mentorship programme to fill this need.
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Our Beautiful Soul mentorship for companies & organisations focuses on character development in the professional setting. We guide our clients in achieving their work objectives through self-cultivation, helping to define and address character traits that hinder excellence in the workplace, while equipping them with the skills necessary to thrive professionally.
By challenging workplace limitations through character development, becoming more conscious of personal and collective goals, and building positive relationships with colleagues through self-examination, our participants become stimulated, productive, and happier in their positions.
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*Improving character and personality.
*Developing critical thinking skills and intellectual abilities.
*Educating oneself and challenging underlying assumptions on what constitutes a purposeful life.
*Becoming more knowledgeable, artistically informed, and cultured.
*Finding happiness and a deeper sense of fulfillment through character development.
Bespoke Salons
We host bespoke salons in private residences and in other beautiful locations around the world. The topic of our salons is tailored to our client’s interests in everything from philosophy and the arts, to world affairs and the sciences. We research the topic and create a structured framework for discussion: each salon is unique. A trained salonnière organises the event and expertly moderates the conversation.
Salons are a unique form of social engagement for self-cultivation in the company of others. Our salons are carefully curated, entertaining, culturally enriching, and intellectually stimulating events.
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In our hyper-accelerated, technologically driven world, salons address the fundamental need of reviving the art of conversation, restoring a sense of community, and forging meaningful interactions in physical space.
In our salons, participants practice the art of self-cultivation in an enjoyable context to stimulate thinking deeply about ideas and thoughtfully engaging with others. Our salons are a unique form of enlightened socialising that we tailor to our client’s intellectual passions, creating a beautiful event in their home for them and their guests, like no other.
Our salons are designed so that every person can participate; expert knowledge on the topic is not required. Inquire about details including food and wine, speakers, cultural activities, and other elements of a vibrant bespoke salon.
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In our salons, we group students according to their intellectual interests. For instance, if students are passionate about the visual arts, we curate conversations and cultural excursions that explore different movements or periods in art history.
Our salons complement individual tuition since they put the art of self-cultivation into practice and tangibly demonstrate student progress. In the case of students who are planning for university entrance, our salons are a unique method to determine if they are prepared, since they are similar to the participatory dimensions of university lectures and the structure and contents of advanced seminars.
Together, mentorship and salons shape students for personal and professional excellence at a critical moment in their lives.
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Our salons for companies & organisations provide a productive bonding activity and training opportunity for company employees, executives, or clients. Salons are enjoyable events that allow team members to develop their professional interests and understand one another on a more profound level, laying the foundation for trusting relationships that boost morale and motivation in the workplace.
Through salon conversation, employees learn invaluable communication and presentation skills, professional etiquette, and the capacity to harness problem-solving techniques through a structured analysis of issues. Listening to and learning from the collective knowledge brought to bear on a particular salon topic enhances employees’ ability to understand issues and arrive at collaborative solutions to problems.
We tailor salon topics to specific company goals and the organisational ethos.
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Sample Topics
Philosophy & Ideas
Do we have free will?
Does the soul exist?
Are people naturally altruistic or selfish?
What constitutes a good life?
The philosophy of life and death
Narcissism in the age of social media
The philosophy of love and friendship
Arts & Culture
Should art be beautiful?
Psychological states following aesthetic experience
On cultivating musical appreciation
Meaning and metaphor in literature
The philosophy of wonder and delight
The experience of the sublime
Eureka! Moments of ecstatic discovery
Ethics & Politics
What are our duties to future generations?
The ethics of artificial intelligence
The poetics of politics
Cultural diversity in a globalised world
Animal ethics & the politics of environmental degradation
Universal income: A debate
Empathising with the enemy
Company Issues
Ethics and etiquette at work
A deeper philosophical discussion of company values
Upholding personal values in the workplace
The art of civil disagreement
Cultivating passion and meaning in work
On developing virtuous character traits in the professional setting
Specific company related questions or issues
Benefits
*Intellectual challenges.
*Thinking deeply about ideas and having meaningful conversations.
*Critical thinking and problem solving.
*Understanding systems and larger picture thinking.
*Fresh approach to learning.
*Communication and presentation skills.
*Fostering closer bonds through mutual understanding.
*Tactfully communicating disagreement and overcoming personal differences.
*Working towards common goals.
*Happiness and commitment to personal and professional life.
To arrange private mentorship or bespoke salons please contact: contact@thebeautifulsoul.co
A past residential at Maloja Palace. St. Moritz, Switzerland
A past residential at Schloss Wartin, Brandenburg Germany
Salons at Stowe House, United Kingdom
““Be noble minded! Our own heart, and not other men’s opinions of us, forms our true honor.” ”
The Beautiful Soul Palazzo
Weekend Salons & Beautiful Soul Mentorship
Our Headquarters
The Beautiful Soul Palazzo, located in Tuscany Italy, is the new headquarters of our work.
In this historic 17th century Baroque palazzo and museum, where salons would have historically taken place, we host salons, classical concerts, Beautiful Soul mentorship, and residential courses.
To organise a weekend of salons and Beautiful Soul mentorship for your group or company, please contact us. You may also inquire about using our venue for private events.
contact@thebeautifulsoul.co
Contact Us
For more information please contact:
contact@thebeautifulsoul.co
Our offices are based in London & Tuscany.
““Now, this harmonious cultivation of my nature, which has been denied me by birth, is exactly what I most long for...With this, there is combined my love for poetry and all that is related to it; and the necessity I feel to cultivate my mental faculties and tastes, that so, in this enjoyment henceforth indispensable, I may esteem as good the good alone, as beautiful the beautiful alone.””