Ulakbilge - Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi
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Cilt 4, Sayı 7  Bahar 2016  (ISSN: 2148-0451, E-ISSN: )
Rasim BAŞAK

NO Makale Adı
1459419968 DARWINIAN THEORY OF BEAUTY

“What is beauty?” has been a difficult question for philosophers for thousands of years. Since Plato, beauty has been theorized sometimes as being a subjective judgment or sometimes defined as being “in culturally condioned eye of the beholder”. None of these theories had been grounded upon scientific, objective support until Denis Dutton’s theory (2003). Denis Dutton structured his theory based on Darwinian evolution and defined beauty as another Darwinian adaptation built over millions of years since Pleistocene. Is beauty another Darwinian adaptation and is hardwired in our brain and genes? Is there a human instinct responding to art and beauty? Dutton answers these questions based on surprise archeological findings of Acheulian hand axes and other scientific research. If so, this new theory will change all paradigms about beauty in not only aesthetics, but in art and education.

Keywords: Darwinian Theory of Beauty, Beauty, Aesthetics, Beauty in Art, Art, Acheulean hand axes, Art in evolution