ENGLISH

The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art

By Anjan Chatterjee MD

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Year
2013
ISBN
0199811806, 9780199811809
Language
english
Format
EPUB
Filesize
2 MB (2031129 bytes)
Pages
248\0
Time added
2014-04-02 16:41:09

Description

The Aesthetic Brain takes the reader on a wide-ranging journey through the world of beauty, pleasure, and art. Chatterjee uses neuroscience to probe how an aesthetic sense is etched in our minds and evolutionary psychology to explain why aesthetic concerns feature centrally in our lives. Along the way, Chatterjee addresses fundamental questions: What is beauty? Is beauty universal? How is beauty related to pleasure? What is art? Should art be beautiful? Do we have an instinct for art? Chatterjee starts by probing the reasons that we find people, places, and even numbers beautiful. At the root of beauty, he finds, is pleasure. He then examines our pleasures by dissecting why we want and why we like food, sex, and money and how these rewards relate to aesthetic encounters. His ruminations on beauty and pleasure prepare him and the reader to face art. He wanders through the problems of defining art, understanding contemporary art, and interpreting ancient art. He explores why art, something that seems so useless, also feels fundamental to our humanity. Replete with facts, anecdotes, and analogies, this empirical guide to aesthetics offers scientific answers without deflating the wonders of beauty and art.

Similar books

The arraignment and tryall with a declaration of the Ranters also, several sentences proceedings at the sessions in the Old-Baily, and Councel of War: their protestations and the hanging of one up by the thumbs; with divers penalties to be inflicted upon others. The dancing and revelling of Dr. Buckeridge and his wife, and other gent. dancing all in white, in Berkshire, and their Christmas carol. A dispute between a Ranter in Bridewel, and one that came to see him; with his creed and pater noster: and the names of the false gods they worship. As also, a list of many of the Ranters, from whence they are derived: and of many hundreds of them in England

The arraignment and tryall with a declaration of the Ranters also, several sentences proceedings at the sessions in the Old-Baily, and Councel of War: their protestations and the hanging of one up by the thumbs; with divers penalties to be inflicted upon others. The dancing and revelling of Dr. Buckeridge and his wife, and other gent. dancing all in white, in Berkshire, and their Christmas carol. A dispute between a Ranter in Bridewel, and one that came to see him; with his creed and pater noster: and the names of the false gods they worship. As also, a list of many of the Ranters, from whence they are derived: and of many hundreds of them in England

2019 · EPUB

The discoverer; vvherein is set forth (to undeceive the nation) the reall plots and stratagems of Lievt. Col. John Lilburn, Mr. William Walwyn, Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. Richard Overton, and that partie ... Namely, under the pretence and colour of libertie ... a most dangerous and destructive designe is carried on to deprive the nation of their religion, rights, liberties, proprieties, lawes, government, &c. and to bring a totall and universall ruine upon the land. And so much is here clearely proved. The first part

The discoverer; vvherein is set forth (to undeceive the nation) the reall plots and stratagems of Lievt. Col. John Lilburn, Mr. William Walwyn, Mr. Thomas Prince, Mr. Richard Overton, and that partie ... Namely, under the pretence and colour of libertie ... a most dangerous and destructive designe is carried on to deprive the nation of their religion, rights, liberties, proprieties, lawes, government, &c. and to bring a totall and universall ruine upon the land. And so much is here clearely proved. The first part

2019 · EPUB

An act to impower Sir John Molesworth: Baronet, and Joseph Moyle, Esquire, Two of the surviving Trustees, in an Indenture, dated the Twenty-Fifth Day of December One thousand Seven hundred and Forty-Three, to raise the several Sums in the said Indenture mentioned, or such of them as are still unsatisfied, and pay the same, as well as the rest of the personal Estate of Hugh Gregor, deceased, to such Person as Jane Gregor, an Infant, shall marry during her Infancy, with the Consent of the surviving Trustees, and of her Guardians

An act to impower Sir John Molesworth: Baronet, and Joseph Moyle, Esquire, Two of the surviving Trustees, in an Indenture, dated the Twenty-Fifth Day of December One thousand Seven hundred and Forty-Three, to raise the several Sums in the said Indenture mentioned, or such of them as are still unsatisfied, and pay the same, as well as the rest of the personal Estate of Hugh Gregor, deceased, to such Person as Jane Gregor, an Infant, shall marry during her Infancy, with the Consent of the surviving Trustees, and of her Guardians

EPUB