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Read Book the Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution THE ART INSTINCT: BEAUTY, PLEASURE, AND HUMAN EVOLUTION PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Denis Dutton | 304 pages | 27 May 2010 | Oxford University Press | 9780199580736 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution by Denis Dutton It's the best, most comprehensive book on the psychology of art and I've read them all. It stands alone--it makes sense if you haven't read anything of the psychology or philosophy of art. Jun 13, James Earle rated it really liked it. It's arrogant and cliche at times, but overall good. Oct 22, Taylor Prewitt rated it really liked it. Really thought-provoking, gets the gears turning about the place of art in our lives as physiological beings. Especially liked the parts about fiction. Jan 04, Jessica rated it liked it Shelves: art , evolution. The most popular favorite color in the world is blue Sep 25, Simone rated it it was ok Shelves: art , art-analysis , biology , evolution. While Dutton's theories are interesting, I find he relies to often on singular sources of knowledge, specifically Steven Pinker. Dutton also takes a significantly long-winded approach to his explan While Dutton's theories are interesting, I find he relies to often on singular sources of knowledge, specifically Steven Pinker. Dutton also takes a significantly long-winded approach to his explanations. I did not always find his explanations or examples on target, and they were often unnecessarily repetitive, rather than adding new information. Therefore, once Dutton had come back to his point I was left wanting more sources and examples to back up the theory. Dutton makes a good start, but his examples and follow through is lacking. Take for example chapter 5. He argues that art is not an adaptation, but also it is not a by-product. But he never really clearly defines what it is. It seems he has spent the whole chapter defining the way in which we should approach the chapter, while never really giving an explanation for how art is related to natural selection. Dutton explains that each individual piece of art gives us a unique experience that excites an intrinsic emotional reaction therefore it is not acting as a convenient replacement for going out and experiencing the same thing ex. Well, that's all and good if you're talking about landscapes and still- lifes, but how does this apply to Suprematist, Constructivist, Neo-plastic, or Pop art? While I can theorize as to what he means - obviously the black square being the ideal "universal" form that would allow for a "universal" art means it has intrinsic value to us a human beings, if it is intrinsic it must relate to our evolution from our Pleistocene ancestors, but what Dutton should explain is exactly where this "intrinsic, emotional reaction" comes from. In my opinion, he fails to do so. I find Dutton's arguments for fiction's evolutionary basis compelling. However, I don't think this was a very innovative take on the subject. Common sense tells us that fictional literature is still a didactic tool used to assess possible situations of conflict that may occur in our own lives, and to "deepen our grasp of human social and emotional experience. I also feel that Dutton tries to tackle too many forms of art in his analysis. In such a short book he is unable to give each topic the detail and attention it deserves. So, I finally got to the crux of his argument. Art is the result of sexual selection. I think it best if I allow Dutton to speak for himself on this subject. What I think his ideas pare down to is that language, music, eventually the visual arts developed from a need to demonstrate to the opposite sex our fitness levels. When choosing a "mate" females look for someone who possesses the ability to provide for us - first, by being physically strong and able to protect us, and second by having considerable resources for us to live comfortably, which also suggests fitness, since these people will survive over those without resources. Men again this is only the basic element of Dutton's arguments look for women who will be able to give birth and carry on strong genes for the survival of the species - ie. Leaving out some of the sexists implications in his arguments for present-day sexual selection, the idea that art forms represent early courtship "calls" seems a bit of a stretch. Dutton's claim that because most art shows a waste of resources leading to the assumptions that this potential mate has resources to waste money, time, skills and knowledge that could be put to other more practical uses, but instead is applied to the relatively useless form of artistic creation also seems I think that Dutton claims this also as a pursuit of fitness - understanding each other leads to strong ability to survive. But I felt he did not explain or pursue it well enough. His comparison of art to a peacock's tail feathers - an attractive feature, but unnecessary except for indicating fitness for sexual selection - also seems slightly absurd. There was plenty of interesting facts in the book. And I feel I did learn a few things. But I don't really agree with Dutton's conclusions. It's not hard to believe we have an art instinct. Explaining it well and convincingly is the challenge. I would like someone with a strong knowledge of Darwin, evolution, and human biology to take a crack at it. Jan 29, Kara Babcock rated it it was ok Shelves: history , culture , read , science , non-fiction , from-library , philosophy. I am at war with myself. The feminist in me, who has been taking philosophy courses and reading books that challenge contemporary notions about gender, regards much of culture as a construction, something abstract and even arbitrary that we should alter to improve the status of various groups of people. The scientist in me, who reads books about genetics and ponders how amazing it is that we're programmed to learn how to talk but have developed writing as a skill, not an innate ability. These tw I am at war with myself. These two selves often conflict, as biological determinism clashes with cultural relativism, and I find myself forced to walk carefully the line between the two. I never thought I would have to do this for art! In The Art Instinct , Denis Dutton challenges the commonplace assertion that our notions of what constitutes art and what we find aesthetically pleasing are entirely constructs of our culture. Rather, his thesis is that evolution plays a large role in our tastes. We prefer savanna-like landscapes because it hearkens to our homes of the past; we place a value on skill and creativity because these are useful traits in a mate. Overall, Dutton insists that art criticism must be rooted in an evolutionary perspective he seems to like using evolutionary psychology as a poster-child rather than any particular school of thought based only on culture. And that's the book, right there. Now you don't have to read it. You should be. The Art Instinct has such a great premise, but, like so many books, the execution fails to fulfil that potential. Dutton's writing is stultifying at best, arrogant at worst, and always more loquacious than necessary. It takes him forever to get to the point—he loves lists in which each point is several paragraphs long. And for such a short book, Dutton spends remarkably little of it discussing art itself. Many pages he devotes to explanations of evolution—helpful, yes, but sometimes tangential. And unlike his evolutionary asides, he seldom goes into detail about the theories of art criticism he debunks for us, so much of that went over my head. Dutton does some things right. He does not focus exclusively on Old Master paintings although they are there. He talks about literature and music as well. I really enjoyed chapter 6, "The Uses of Fiction," in which Dutton makes a strong case for fiction being a product of natural selection rather than mere by-products. Also in this chapter is the best glimpse at the argument Dutton tries to make, the idea that art or the eponymous "art instinct" is an innate concept universal to every culture. In that respect, I agree with Dutton's assertion that cultural relativism should not dismiss other cultures' creative works because "they don't have our concept of art. But I didn't enjoy it. This is not even a very academic book, despite constant name-dropping and enough quotations of Steven Pinker to qualify him for co-authorship. Seldom do I read a book which is just written in such an unsatisfactory way that I dislike following the author's arguments. Thus, even if Dutton has managed to convince me of his thesis, he has achieved the even greater feat of doing it while boring me too. The Art Instinct is successful, then, in showing evolution's role in the arts. I won't dismiss all of art as stemming from evolutionary roots and I don't think Dutton is trying to argue this, but it could easily be seen that way. Culture still has a role to play—evolution might influence the desirably body types, but fads and fashions contribute to changing representations throughout history. Even so, the way Dutton advances his argument leaves me with a distinctly apathetic attitude toward the entire book. It is very "ho-hum. The Art Instinct does not do this.
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