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

244 Pages·2013·1.09 MB·English

by  Anjan Chatterjee MD

THE AESTHETIC BRAIN
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THE AESTHETIC BRAIN
How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art
Anjan Chatt erjee

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1

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chatt erjee, Anjan.
Th e aesthetic brain: how we evolved to desire beauty and enjoy art/Anjan Chatt erjee.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–19–981180–9 (hardback) 1. Aesthetics—Psychological aspects.
2. Genetic psychology. 3. Brain—Evolution. I. Title.
BH301.P78C45 2013
111′.85—dc23 2013014485
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To my father and my mother
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CONTENTS
Preface xi
Introduction xvii
PART ONE
BEAUTY
1. What is this thing called beauty? 3
2. Captivating faces 6
3. Th e measure of facial beauty 10
4. Th e body beautiful 17
5. How the brain works 24
6. Brains behind beauty 31
7. Evolving beauty 37
vii
CONTENTS
8. Beautiful landscapes 48
9. N umbering beauty 5 4
10. Th e illogic of beauty 64
PART TWO
PLEASURE
1. What is this thing called pleasure? 71
2. Food 74
3.   Sex 84
4. Money 92
5. Liking, wanting, learning 103
6. Th e logic of pleasure 109
PART THREE
ART
1. What is this thing called art? 115
2. Art: Biology and culture 122
3. Descriptive science of the arts 127
4. Experimental science of the arts 134
5. Conceptual art 143
6. Th e roots of art 150
7. Evolving minds 159
viii
CONTENTS
8. Evolving art 165
9. A rt: A tail or a song? 1 72
10. Th e serendipity of art 180
Acknowledgments 187
Books (that I found useful) 191
References 193
Index 207
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