I am someone who gravitates towards beauty no matter how seemingly unnecessary or irrelevant it may appear to be to a purported function. I always thought I just had some special ability to very effectively stop and smell the roses or the sculpture garden or fountain or whatever the beautiful imagery may be. It turns out I couldn't be more wrong.
Our ability to appreciate beauty and our desire to create and HAVE beauty are part of what set us apart from other species. Mr Darwin just might have more wisdom to offer us on the essence of aesthetic appreciation than even some of our most favorite art scholars and philosophers. I was surprised too! Take a look at the video as speaker, Denis Dutton, explains our ancient and biological draw to beauty and its role in shaping our lives.
