beauty changes everything
THE EXPERIENCE OF BEAUTY IN THE MIDDLE AGES. By Mary Carruthers. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. xii+233. ISBN: 9780199590322. Most ideas from the Middle Ages are entangled in their views of theology and morality, at least that is how we often perceive it. We approach medieval ideas with the belief that theology was … Continue reading Review of The Experience of Beauty in the Middle Ages
Natural selection is the process organisms adapt to their environment to give them a better chance at survival. Though he proposed and defended this theory, Charles Darwin did not believe it could explain everything. That's why he also proposed sexual selection, by which he meant that females choose the most appealing males and males evolve … Continue reading Extravagant Evolution
It has become increasingly common to use the word 'aesthetics' when really talking about art. While it is true that many works of art are beautiful or have other aesthetic properties, most people claim to deny that aesthetics is a necessary component of art. One just has to think about Marcel Duchamp's Fountain (1917); he claimed … Continue reading Aesthetics Versus Philosophy of Art
The Leonardo Electronic Almanac has released its newest book, Cloud and Molecular Aesthetics. This volume situates a critical discourse on the molecular data–cloud and aesthetics within contemporary experiences of art and society. It reflects varied perceptions and current thinking by artists, curators, scientists, and theorists in comprehending the appropriation and colonization of the cloud. The cloud … Continue reading Cloud and Molecular Aesthetics – New Volume
An encyclopedia entry by Michael Spicher: Aesthetic Taste. This article explores some early foundations for later theories of taste in the ancient and medieval worlds. The largest section of this essay emphasizes what has been called the century of taste, the 18th century. Many of these philosophers are lesser known. Then, it delves into the … Continue reading Aesthetic Taste
Michael Bond has written a piece for the BBC discussing the hidden ways that architecture can affect our well-being. Drawing from current studies from neuroscience and psychology, Bond examines how small details on buildings can have a big affect on people. One notable study, conducted by Colin Ellard, showed that people are negatively affected by … Continue reading Details that Matter
Richard Prum (William Robertson Coe Professor of Ornithology at Yale University) released a new book called The Evolution of Beauty. Perhaps, there is an aesthetic component to evolution? Philosopher Alva Noë reviews this book here.
“One goes always upwards for the sake of this Beauty, starting out from beautiful things and using them like rising stairs.” -Plato, Symposium, 211c Einstein, defending his theory of general relativity, claimed that it was too beautiful, so it could not be false. Beauty has been a motivation and an indicator for many scientists (maybe … Continue reading Beauty as an Indicator in Physics
Beauty has motivated many scientists to research the world. Since many consider beauty to be subjective, this may seem a strange motivation for a field that is considered mostly objective. Ashutosh Jogalekar offers an idea about the relationship between beauty and truth in scientific research. Click here for the article.
An encyclopedia entry by Michael Spicher: Medieval Theories of Aesthetics. In this article, I explain some of the major influences, concepts, and thinkers in the Medieval period.