The paper discusses Martha Nussbaum’s ethical project from the perspective of political aesthetics, i.e. the reflection on the political significance of perception as such and the perception of beauty in particular. The article attempts to demonstrate that a full account of this type should allow for the relationship between perception and certain acts of appearing. It analyses the strengths and weaknesses of Nussbaum’s project considered in such a context. This involves the reconstruction of Nussbaum’s conceptions of human good and practical rationality and the search for an interpretation of society compatible with these assumptions.