Survival of the Beautiful

Art, Science, and Evolution

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Biology, Art & Architecture, General Art
Cover of the book Survival of the Beautiful by David Rothenberg, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Rothenberg ISBN: 9781608193738
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: November 1, 2011
Imprint: Bloomsbury Press Language: English
Author: David Rothenberg
ISBN: 9781608193738
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: November 1, 2011
Imprint: Bloomsbury Press
Language: English

"The peacock's tail," said Charles Darwin, "makes me sick." That's because the theory of evolution as adaptation can't explain why nature is so beautiful. It took the concept of sexual selection for Darwin to explain that, a process that has more to do with aesthetics than the practical. Survival of the Beautiful is a revolutionary new examination of the interplay of beauty, art, and culture in evolution. Taking inspiration from Darwin's observation that animals have a natural aesthetic sense, philosopher and musician David Rothenberg probes why animals, humans included, have innate appreciation for beauty-and why nature is, indeed, beautiful.

Sexual selection may explain why animals desire, but it says very little about what they desire. Why will a bowerbird literally murder another bird to decorate its bower with the victim's blue feathers? Why do butterfly wings boast such brilliantly varied patterns? The beauty of nature is not arbitrary, even if random mutation has played a role in evolution. What can we learn from the amazing range of animal aesthetic behavior-about animals, and about ourselves?

Readers who enjoyed the bestsellers The Art Instinct and The Mind's Eye will find Survival of the Beautiful an equally stimulating and profound exploration of art, science, and the creative impulse.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"The peacock's tail," said Charles Darwin, "makes me sick." That's because the theory of evolution as adaptation can't explain why nature is so beautiful. It took the concept of sexual selection for Darwin to explain that, a process that has more to do with aesthetics than the practical. Survival of the Beautiful is a revolutionary new examination of the interplay of beauty, art, and culture in evolution. Taking inspiration from Darwin's observation that animals have a natural aesthetic sense, philosopher and musician David Rothenberg probes why animals, humans included, have innate appreciation for beauty-and why nature is, indeed, beautiful.

Sexual selection may explain why animals desire, but it says very little about what they desire. Why will a bowerbird literally murder another bird to decorate its bower with the victim's blue feathers? Why do butterfly wings boast such brilliantly varied patterns? The beauty of nature is not arbitrary, even if random mutation has played a role in evolution. What can we learn from the amazing range of animal aesthetic behavior-about animals, and about ourselves?

Readers who enjoyed the bestsellers The Art Instinct and The Mind's Eye will find Survival of the Beautiful an equally stimulating and profound exploration of art, science, and the creative impulse.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Blur by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book US Mechanized Infantryman in the First Gulf War by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Birds of the Canary Islands by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Queering the Shakespeare Film by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book The Non-Canonical Gospels by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book The Wallace Effect by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Lines of Flight by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Route 66 by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book The Woman Who Had Imagination by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Thieves Like Us by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book A Short History of the Reformation by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Evil: A Guide for the Perplexed by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Army of the Night by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book Art and the Politics of Visibility by David Rothenberg
Cover of the book The In & Out by David Rothenberg
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy