TED2010
Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty
Dennis Dutton: 美感演化論
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TED與動畫師Andrew Park合作，將Denis Dutton顛覆性的美感理論化為圖像：藝術、音樂以及其他我們認為美麗的事物之所以為美，不只是源自我們觀者的美感素養，而是從遠古人類祖先以降，隨著演化汰選、留在我們體內的天性。
Denis Dutton - Philosopher
Denis Dutton was a philosophy professor and the editor of Arts & Letters Daily. In his book The Art Instinct, he suggested that humans are hard-wired to seek beauty. Full bio
Denis Dutton was a philosophy professor and the editor of Arts & Letters Daily. In his book The Art Instinct, he suggested that humans are hard-wired to seek beauty. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
Delighted to be here
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我很高興能來這裡
00:18
and to talk to you about a subject dear to my heart,
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跟你們分享我所熱愛的主題
00:20
which is beauty.
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那就是「美」
00:23
I do the philosophy of art, aesthetics,
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我研究藝術哲學和美學
00:26
actually, for a living.
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並以此為業
00:28
I try to figure out intellectually,
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我試圖透過知性、
00:30
philosophically, psychologically,
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哲學、心理學的層面探討
00:32
what the experience of beauty is,
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「美」的感受究竟是什麼，
00:35
what sensibly can be said about it
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我們如何用理智的語言來詮釋「美」
00:38
and how people go off the rails in trying to understand it.
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人們如何透過非傳統的眼光來理解「美」
00:41
Now this is an extremely complicated subject,
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這個主題何其複雜
00:44
in part because the things that we call beautiful
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一部份的原因是，那些我們稱之為「美」的事物
00:47
are so different.
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是如此不同
00:49
I mean just think of the sheer variety --
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試想它們是多麼南轅北轍：
00:51
a baby's face,
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嬰孩的小臉
00:53
Berlioz's "Harold in Italy,"
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白遼士的《哈羅爾德在義大利》交響曲
00:55
movies like "The Wizard of Oz"
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《綠野仙蹤》之類的電影
00:57
or the plays of Chekhov,
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或是，契訶夫的戲劇
00:59
a central California landscape,
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加州中部的壯麗景觀
01:01
a Hokusai view of Mt. Fuji,
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葛飾北齋眼中的富士山
01:04
"Der Rosenkavalier,"
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歌劇《玫瑰騎士》
01:06
a stunning match-winning goal
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世界盃足球賽
01:08
in a World Cup soccer match,
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精采致勝的那一球
01:10
Van Gogh's "Starry Night,"
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梵谷的《星夜》
01:12
a Jane Austen novel,
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珍‧奧斯汀的小說
01:14
Fred Astaire dancing across the screen.
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螢光幕上弗雷德‧阿斯泰爾的舞蹈
01:17
This brief list includes human beings,
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剛剛簡略列出來的事物，包括人物
01:20
natural landforms,
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自然風景
01:22
works of art and skilled human actions.
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藝術作品，以及人類精妙的動作
01:25
An account that explains the presence of beauty
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要找到一種說法能夠涵蓋剛剛所列出的
01:28
in everything on this list
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所有美麗事物
01:30
is not going to be easy.
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並不是容易的事
01:32
I can, however, give you at least a taste
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但是，我至少能讓你們稍微了解
01:35
of what I regard
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我認為
01:37
as the most powerful theory of beauty
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我們目前所有有關「美」的理論中
01:39
we yet have.
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最有力的一個
01:41
And we get it not from a philosopher of art,
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這個理論不是來自於藝術哲學家
01:43
not from a postmodern art theorist
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也不是來自後現代藝術理論學者
01:45
or a bigwig art critic.
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或是擲地有聲的藝術評論家
01:47
No, this theory
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都不是。這個理論
01:49
comes from an expert
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是出自一位
01:51
on barnacles and worms and pigeon breeding,
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研究藤壺、蠕蟲和鴿子繁殖的專家
01:57
and you know who I mean:
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你們應該知道我講的是誰：
02:00
Charles Darwin.
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就是達爾文
02:02
Of course, a lot of people think they already know
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當然，很多人認為自己已經知曉
02:05
the proper answer to the question,
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這個議題的最佳答案
02:08
"What is beauty?"
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什麼是「美」?
02:11
It's in the eye of the beholder.
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美是存在於觀者的眼中
02:13
It's whatever moves you personally.
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是能觸動你個人內心的東西
02:15
Or, as some people,
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或者像是某些人
02:17
especially academics prefer,
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尤其是學術界的人所偏好的說法
02:19
beauty is in the culturally conditioned
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美是觀者在其個別的文化薰陶之下
02:22
eye of the beholder.
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所產生的觀感
02:24
People agree that paintings or movies or music
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人們都認同畫作、電影或音樂
02:27
are beautiful
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是美麗的
02:29
because their cultures determine a uniformity of aesthetic taste.
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因為他們的文化決定了他們美學品味的一致性
02:33
Taste for both natural beauty and for the arts
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對於自然美景和藝術的喜好品味
02:36
travel across cultures
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能輕易地跨越
02:38
with great ease.
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各種文化
02:40
Beethoven is adored in Japan.
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貝多芬在日本備受推崇
02:42
Peruvians love Japanese woodblock prints.
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祕魯人喜歡日本木刻版畫
02:45
Inca sculptures are regarded as treasures
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印加雕刻在英國博物館
02:47
in British museums,
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被視為珍寶
02:49
while Shakespeare is translated
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莎士比亞的作品則被翻譯成
02:51
into every major language of the Earth.
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全世界各種主要語言
02:54
Or just think about American jazz
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或者光想想看美國的爵士樂
02:56
or American movies --
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或是美國電影
02:58
they go everywhere.
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在世界各地隨處可見
03:00
There are many differences among the arts,
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藝術有各種不同的形式
03:03
but there are also universal,
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但卻也有普遍一致的
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cross-cultural aesthetic pleasures
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跨文化的審美樂趣
03:07
and values.
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和美感價值
03:09
How can we explain
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我們該怎麼解釋
03:12
this universality?
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這種普遍性呢?
03:15
The best answer lies in trying to reconstruct
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最好的答案就在我們試著重建
03:17
a Darwinian evolutionary history
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藝術與美學品味的
03:20
of our artistic and aesthetic tastes.
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演化歷史
03:23
We need to reverse-engineer
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我們必須回溯
03:25
our present artistic tastes and preferences
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目前既有藝術品味與偏好的源頭
03:28
and explain how they came
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理解它們從何而來
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to be engraved in our minds
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如何在我們的心志生根
03:33
by the actions of both our prehistoric,
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從史前的人類活動
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largely pleistocene environments,
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多活動在更新世環境中
03:38
where we became fully human,
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也就是人類進化成全人的地方
03:40
but also by the social situations
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以及不斷進化的
03:42
in which we evolved.
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社會狀態
03:44
This reverse engineering
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這樣的回溯動作
03:46
can also enlist help
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同樣也能幫助
03:49
from the human record
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保存記錄人類
03:51
preserved in prehistory.
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在史前記錄的活動
03:53
I mean fossils, cave paintings and so forth.
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像是化石，洞穴壁畫
03:56
And it should take into account
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我們也應該考慮到
03:58
what we know of the aesthetic interests
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那些舊石器時代的採獵族群
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of isolated hunter-gatherer bands
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他們的美學興趣
04:03
that survived into the 19th and the 20th centuries.
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是如何延續至十九與二十世紀
04:07
Now, I personally
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我個人
04:09
have no doubt whatsoever
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並不懷疑
04:11
that the experience of beauty,
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美的體驗包含
04:13
with its emotional intensity and pleasure,
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強烈的情緒與歡愉
04:16
belongs to our evolved human psychology.
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也就是屬於已進化人類的心理層面
04:20
The experience of beauty is one component
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美的經驗是一系列的達爾文演化論中
04:23
in a whole series of Darwinian adaptations.
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其中的一項元素
04:27
Beauty is an adaptive effect,
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美是種適應性的影響
04:29
which we extend
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也就是我們加以延伸
04:31
and intensify
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強調
04:33
in the creation and enjoyment
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創作與享受
04:35
of works of art and entertainment.
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藝術品與其娛樂性
04:39
As many of you will know,
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你們多數人大都知道
04:41
evolution operates by two main primary mechanisms.
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演化的過程是由兩個主要機制所操控的
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The first of these is natural selection --
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第一為物競天擇
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that's random mutation and selective retention --
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也就是隨機突變與選擇性的保留
04:50
along with our basic anatomy and physiology --
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加上人類基本的解剖與生理演化
04:53
the evolution of the pancreas or the eye or the fingernails.
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例如胰臟，眼睛或指甲的進化
04:56
Natural selection also explains
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物競天擇同樣也能解釋
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many basic revulsions,
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我們普遍感到懼怕與厭惡的事物
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such as the horrid smell of rotting meat,
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例如腐爛肉的可怕氣味
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or fears, such as the fear of snakes
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或恐懼，對蛇
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or standing close to the edge of a cliff.
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或站在懸崖邊的恐懼
05:09
Natural selection also explains pleasures --
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物競天擇也能解釋歡愉
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sexual pleasure,
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性歡愉
05:14
our liking for sweet, fat and proteins,
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以及我們對甜食，油脂與蛋白質的喜好
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which in turn explains a lot of popular foods,
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進而解釋現在許多受歡迎的食物
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from ripe fruits through chocolate malts
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是熟成乾果，巧克力麥芽
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and barbecued ribs.
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與烤肋排
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The other great principle of evolution
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另一個演化的原則
05:28
is sexual selection,
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是性別選擇
05:30
and it operates very differently.
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這項機制運作方式相當不同
05:32
The peacock's magnificent tail
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例如孔雀的華美尾巴
05:35
is the most famous example of this.
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就是好的例子
05:38
It did not evolve for natural survival.
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這項機制跟物競天擇無關
05:41
In fact, it goes against natural survival.
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事實上，是剛剛好相反
05:44
No, the peacock's tail
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孔雀的尾巴
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results from the mating choices
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目的是吸引雌孔雀
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made by peahens.
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決定要不要與之交配
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It's quite a familiar story.
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這其實是相當耳熟的故事
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It's women who actually push history forward.
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女性是推動歷史演進的重要推手
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Darwin himself, by the way,
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另外，達爾文自己
05:58
had no doubts that the peacock's tail
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也承認在母孔雀眼裡
06:00
was beautiful in the eyes of the peahen.
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公孔雀的尾巴是非常美麗的
06:02
He actually used that word.
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他甚至用『美麗』一字來形容
06:05
Now, keeping these ideas firmly in mind,
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接下來，請將這些觀念記住
06:08
we can say that the experience of beauty
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我們可以說美的體驗
06:11
is one of the ways that evolution has
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是演化其中一個方式
06:14
of arousing and sustaining
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是喚起和維持
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interest or fascination,
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其興趣或喜好
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even obsession,
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甚至是迷戀
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in order to encourage us
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讓我們能做出
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toward making the most adaptive decisions
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最適應環境的決定
06:25
for survival and reproduction.
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以利生存與繁衍
06:29
Beauty is nature's way
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美是一種
06:31
of acting at a distance,
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也就是
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so to speak.
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隔空影響的自然法則
06:36
I mean, you can't expect to eat
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我是指，你無法吃下
06:38
an adaptively beneficial landscape.
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具有利適應條件的美好景色
06:40
It would hardly do to eat your baby
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你不可能如此對你的小孩
06:42
or your lover.
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或你所愛的人
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So evolution's trick
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所以演化的技巧就是
06:46
is to make them beautiful,
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讓他們變得美麗
06:48
to have them exert a kind of magnetism
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讓他們擁有某種吸引力
06:51
to give you the pleasure of simply looking at them.
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讓你光是看著他們就感到歡樂
06:55
Consider briefly an important source of aesthetic pleasure,
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另外，關於美所帶來的歡愉
06:58
the magnetic pull
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另一個重要的來源就是
07:00
of beautiful landscapes.
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美麗風景的吸引力
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People in very different cultures
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全世界許多來自
07:04
all over the world
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不同文化背景的人們
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tend to like a particular kind of landscape,
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都會喜歡特定種類的風景景觀
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a landscape that just happens to be similar
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而這樣的風景剛好與史前時代
07:12
to the pleistocene savannas where we evolved.
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人類進化的環境相當類似
07:15
This landscape shows up today
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這樣的景觀畫面會出現在今天的
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on calendars, on postcards,
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月曆上，明信片上
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in the design of golf courses and public parks
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高爾夫球場與公園的設計
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and in gold-framed pictures
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以及掛在客廳裡
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that hang in living rooms
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並以金色邊框裱起來
07:27
from New York to New Zealand.
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不論是在紐約或是紐西蘭皆隨處可見
07:30
It's a kind of Hudson River school landscape
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這是類似哈德遜河畫派的風景畫
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featuring open spaces
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有著廣闊的地理空間
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of low grasses
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低矮的草坪
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interspersed with copses of trees.
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許多樹叢散落其間
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The trees, by the way, are often preferred
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另外，這裡的樹，大多像是
07:42
if they fork near the ground,
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樹枝幾乎觸地
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that is to say, if they're trees you could scramble up
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也就像是，如果你在站某個茂密點上
07:47
if you were in a tight fix.
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便可以攀爬而上
07:50
The landscape shows the presence
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這樣的風景，也包含了水的蹤跡
07:52
of water directly in view,
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無論是直接地描繪在眼前
07:54
or evidence of water in a bluish distance,
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或是在畫面遠處以藍色筆觸表現水的存在
07:58
indications of animal or bird life
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以及動物或鳥類
08:01
as well as diverse greenery
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還有多樣的綠色植物
08:03
and finally -- get this --
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以及最後
08:06
a path
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一條小徑
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or a road,
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或一條路
08:10
perhaps a riverbank or a shoreline,
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或是河岸，海岸線
08:13
that extends into the distance,
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延伸至遠處
08:16
almost inviting you to follow it.
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就像是邀請你前往
08:20
This landscape type is regarded as beautiful,
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這樣的景色被認為是美麗的
08:23
even by people in countries
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即使在某些國家裡的人們
08:25
that don't have it.
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不曾擁有這樣的景觀風景
08:27
The ideal savanna landscape
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理想的大草原景色
08:29
is one of the clearest examples
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是其中一個明顯的例子
08:31
where human beings everywhere
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說明不管來自哪裡的人類
08:33
find beauty
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對美的認同
08:35
in similar visual experience.
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是具有相同的視覺體驗
08:37
But, someone might argue,
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但有些人也許會問
08:39
that's natural beauty.
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這只能說明自然美景
08:41
How about artistic beauty?
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那麼人工藝術品呢？
08:44
Isn't that exhaustively cultural?
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藝術品難道不是完全的屬於個別文化性的嗎？
08:47
No, I don't think it is.
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但我並不這麼認為
08:49
And once again, I'd like to look back to prehistory
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我想再一次請大家回到史前時代
08:52
to say something about it.
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來說明其原因
08:54
It is widely assumed
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普遍認為
08:56
that the earliest human artworks
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最早人類的藝術品
08:58
are the stupendously skillful cave paintings
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是高超技術的洞穴壁畫
09:01
that we all know from Lascaux
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從法國Lasaux洞窟壁畫
09:03
and Chauvet.
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到Chauvet洞穴
09:06
Chauvet caves
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Chauvet洞穴
09:08
are about 32,000 years old,
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大概已經三萬兩千年
09:10
along with a few small, realistic sculptures
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有著一些逼真的精緻雕塑品
09:13
of women and animals from the same period.
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描繪當時代的女子與動物
09:20
But artistic and decorative skills
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但藝術與裝飾技巧
09:22
are actually much older than that.
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遠比所描繪的時代還要來得久遠
09:26
Beautiful shell necklaces
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美麗的貝殼項鍊
09:28
that look like something you'd see at an arts and crafts fair,
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就像是那種你會在藝術展覽場上找到的一樣
09:31
as well as ochre body paint,
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例如赭石人體彩繪
09:33
have been found
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經研究
09:35
from around 100,000 years ago.
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迄今已超過十萬年
09:37
But the most intriguing prehistoric artifacts
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但其中最吸引人的史前藝術品
09:40
are older even than this.
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其實比人體彩繪還要古老
09:42
I have in mind
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是像
09:44
the so-called Acheulian hand axes.
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所謂的阿舍利手斧
09:48
The oldest stone tools are choppers
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是最古老的石器，用來當做手斧
09:51
from the Olduvai Gorge in East Africa.
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是在東非奧度瓦伊峽谷所發掘的
09:53
They go back about two-and-a-half-million years.
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迄今已有約兩百多萬年的歷史
09:56
These crude tools
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這些原始的工具
09:58
were around for thousands of centuries,
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都已存在超過幾千世紀
10:01
until around 1.4 million years ago
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直到約一百四十萬年前
10:04
when Homo erectus
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當直立猿人
10:06
started shaping
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開始削磨
10:08
single, thin stone blades,
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單一，輕薄的刀片
10:10
sometimes rounded ovals,
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有時磨成卵圓形狀
10:13
but often in what are to our eyes
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但大多時候，在我們看來
10:15
an arresting, symmetrical pointed leaf
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都是個對稱，尖頭樹葉狀
10:18
or teardrop form.
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或是淚珠的形狀
10:20
These Acheulian hand axes --
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這些阿舍利手斧
10:22
they're named after St. Acheul in France,
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是以法國的阿歇爾遺址命名
10:24
where finds were made in 19th century --
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當初於十九世紀時在這個地方開始發掘
10:27
have been unearthed in their thousands,
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出土的幾千把此類型手斧
10:30
scattered across Asia, Europe and Africa,
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遍及亞洲，歐洲與非洲大陸
10:33
almost everywhere Homo erectus
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幾乎有直立猿人
10:36
and Homo ergaster roamed.
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與非洲匠人地方都有其蹤跡
10:39
Now, the sheer numbers of these hand axes
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現在，光是這些斧頭的數量
10:42
shows that they can't have been made
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便可證明這種手斧
10:44
for butchering animals.
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不光光只是用來宰殺動物
10:46
And the plot really thickens when you realize
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當我們進一步了解，會發現此項假設為真
10:49
that, unlike other pleistocene tools,
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和其他史前工具不同
10:52
the hand axes often exhibit
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在這些斧頭
10:54
no evidence of wear
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輕薄的刀片上
10:56
on their delicate blade edges.
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多數都沒有磨耗的痕跡
10:58
And some, in any event, are too big
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而且有些的體型明顯過大
11:00
to use for butchery.
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不適於用在屠宰上
11:03
Their symmetry, their attractive materials
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他們其對稱，流線的材質
11:05
and, above all,
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以及
11:07
their meticulous workmanship
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非常細緻的工藝技術
11:09
are simply quite beautiful
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在我們今天看來
11:12
to our eyes, even today.
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都是非常美麗的
11:15
So what were these ancient --
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這些年代久遠
11:19
I mean, they're ancient, they're foreign,
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我是指，他們歷史非常久遠，陌生
11:21
but they're at the same time
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但同時
11:23
somehow familiar.
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我們卻也感到十分熟悉
11:25
What were these artifacts for?
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這些工藝品的用途是什麼？
11:28
The best available answer
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最合理可能的答案
11:30
is that they were literally
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是他們基本上是
11:32
the earliest known works of art,
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目前已知年代最為古老的藝術品
11:34
practical tools transformed
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實用工具轉變成
11:36
into captivating aesthetic objects,
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非常吸引人的藝術品
11:39
contemplated both for their elegant shape
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就其美麗的形狀
11:41
and their virtuoso craftsmanship.
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與其精湛的工藝
11:45
Hand axes mark
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這些斧頭在人類的歷史上
11:47
an evolutionary advance in human history --
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留下演化進步的印記
11:49
tools fashioned to function
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工具使之合於運用
11:51
as what Darwinians call "fitness signals" --
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是達爾文學派稱之的合適性
11:54
that is to say, displays
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也就是說，這代表
11:56
that are performances
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一種表現，展示行為
11:58
like the peacock's tail,
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就像孔雀開屏
12:00
except that, unlike hair and feathers,
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另外，不像頭髮或是羽毛
12:03
the hand axes are consciously
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這手斧是有目的性地
12:05
cleverly crafted.
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刻意精密製作
12:07
Competently made hand axes
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製作合適的斧頭
12:09
indicated desirable personal qualities --
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其中展現出美好的人性：
12:13
intelligence, fine motor control,
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智能，精細動作控制
12:16
planning ability,
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計畫的能力
12:18
conscientiousness
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勤奮
12:20
and sometimes access to rare materials.
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與獲得特殊材料的能力
12:23
Over tens of thousands of generations,
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經過數萬個世代交替
12:26
such skills increased the status
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如此精湛的技術提高了
12:28
of those who displayed them
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製作者的地位
12:30
and gained a reproductive advantage
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及比起其他無技能者
12:32
over the less capable.
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較具有生殖交配的優勢
12:34
You know, it's an old line,
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有句古諺
12:36
but it has been shown to work --
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現在聽來仍是相當正確
12:38
"Why don't you come up to my cave, so I can show you my hand axes?"
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『入吾洞穴，獻君觀其手杖』
12:41
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
12:43
Except, of course, what's interesting about this
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當然，有趣的還有
12:46
is that we can't be sure how that idea was conveyed,
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我們無法確定這概念是如何形成的
12:49
because the Homo erectus
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因為製作這些物件的
12:51
that made these objects
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直立猿人
12:54
did not have language.
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尚未使用語言
12:56
It's hard to grasp,
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所以使得這很難去了解
12:58
but it's an incredible fact.
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這了不起的事實
13:01
This object was made
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這物件是由
13:03
by a hominid ancestor,
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人類的祖先
13:06
Homo erectus or Homo ergaster,
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直立猿人或非洲匠人所製作的
13:10
between 50,000 and 100,000 years
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是大約在語言發明前的
13:13
before language.
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五十至十萬年以前
13:16
Stretching over a million years,
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斧頭傳統
13:18
the hand axe tradition
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時間橫跨超越一百萬年
13:20
is the longest artistic tradition
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是人類與原始人類歷史上
13:23
in human and proto-human history.
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時間最長的藝術傳統
13:26
By the end of the hand axe epic, Homo sapiens --
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到了斧頭年代的尾聲，進入所謂的
13:29
as they were then called, finally --
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現代人時代
13:31
were doubtless finding new ways
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人類終於開始尋找新方法
13:33
to amuse and amaze each other
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來娛樂彼此，讓對方欣賞
13:36
by, who knows, telling jokes,
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以說笑話
13:38
storytelling, dancing, or hairstyling.
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故事，跳舞或是髮型等的方法
13:41
Yes, hairstyling -- I insist on that.
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沒錯，是頭髮造型，我堅持用這個詞
13:44
For us moderns,
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對我們現代人來說
13:46
virtuoso technique
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工藝技術
13:48
is used to create imaginary worlds
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是用來打造小說裡或是電影裡的
13:50
in fiction and in movies,
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想像國度
13:52
to express intense emotions
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透過音樂，繪畫與舞蹈
13:54
with music, painting and dance.
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來表達心中的強烈情感
13:57
But still,
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但是
13:59
one fundamental trait
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這仍有一個非常根本的性質
14:01
of the ancestral personality persists
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早在我們祖先的身上便具有的
14:03
in our aesthetic cravings:
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對藝術渴忘的堅持：
14:06
the beauty we find
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那些我們在
14:08
in skilled performances.
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技藝表演中所發現的美麗
14:10
From Lascaux to the Louvre
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從 Lascaux壁畫到羅浮宮
14:12
to Carnegie Hall,
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到卡內基音樂廳
14:14
human beings
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人類
14:16
have a permanent innate taste
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有著與生俱來
14:18
for virtuoso displays in the arts.
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追求精湛工藝的美感
14:22
We find beauty
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我們認為的美
14:24
in something done well.
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是指手藝精湛
14:28
So the next time you pass a jewelry shop window
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所以下回當你走過珠寶店的櫥窗
14:30
displaying a beautifully cut
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展示著完美切割
14:32
teardrop-shaped stone,
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淚珠型的寶石
14:34
don't be so sure
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別太過肯定
14:36
it's just your culture telling you
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那是你的文化教育你
14:38
that that sparkling jewel is beautiful.
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那顆閃閃發亮的珠寶是美的表徵
14:40
Your distant ancestors loved that shape
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你的遠古祖先早已能欣賞
14:43
and found beauty in the skill needed to make it,
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喜愛其製造工藝
14:46
even before
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早在他們有能力
14:48
they could put their love into words.
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把熱情付諸於文字之前
14:50
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
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所以美僅僅止於觀者的眼裡？
14:53
No, it's deep in our minds.
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不，它早已深根地固埋於我們之中
14:56
It's a gift handed down from the intelligent skills
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那是一份禮物，由我們擁有智能技術
14:59
and rich emotional lives
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與豐富情感的遠古祖先
15:01
of our most ancient ancestors.
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所傳遞下來的
15:04
Our powerful reaction to images,
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我們對圖畫所產生的強烈反應
15:06
to the expression of emotion in art,
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將情感化成藝術
15:09
to the beauty of music, to the night sky,
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能體會音樂及夜空的美好
15:12
will be with us and our descendants
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自人類誕生的那一刻
15:15
for as long as the human race exists.
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這些美好都將與我們同在
15:18
Thank you.
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謝謝
15:20
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Denis Dutton - PhilosopherDenis Dutton was a philosophy professor and the editor of Arts & Letters Daily. In his book The Art Instinct, he suggested that humans are hard-wired to seek beauty.
Why you should listen
Why do humans take pleasure in making art? In his 2009 book The Art Instinct, philosopher Denis Dutton suggested that art is a need built into our systems, a complex and subtle evolutionary adaptation comparable to our facility for language. We humans evolved to love art because it helps us survive; for example, a well-expressed appreciation of art can -- even in modern times -- help us to find a mate. It’s a bold argument to make, bolstered by examples from the breadth of art history that Dutton kept at his fingertips.
Dutton taught philosophy at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and was the editor of Arts & Letters Daily, a three-column compendium of culture news from all over the web. (His own homepage is another storehouse of tidbits from his wide-ranging explorations in philosophy and culture.) He was on the advisory board of Cybereditions, a publisher specializing in ebooks and print-on-demand editions of nonfiction works. And he was an editor of Climate Debate Daily, a lively blog that takes a skeptical view of some climate-change arguments.
Dutton died from cancer in December 2010.
Denis Dutton | Speaker | TED.com