A Darwinin theory?

Denis Dutton is a philosopher and writes for the “Arts & Letters Daily” magazine. He presents the problem of the “experiencing beauty”. From his perspective, what is considering beautiful will have different appreciations depending on the culture in which it is appreciated, as will do the numerous objects, people or things that can be catalogued within this category (a movie, a baby, a painting, etc.)

The theory of beauty does not come, as one may have expected from a formulation of an expert in art or a critic, but from the Charles Darwin himself, who proposed culture as a determinant of aesthetic taste. The aesthetic experience belongs to the evolved human psychology.

This video is a good source for investigation on the beginning of aesthetic practices, as well as a good precedent for the coming philosophers and critics who researched this practice. Other, more contemporary authors that deal with this subject are Kant, Hegel, Danto, who focused mainly on artistic practices and their development.

In this page there can be found other videos about a variety ot topics, not just beauty. It is a good option to practice the listening of the English language as well! www.ted.com.