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Evolutionary Aesthetics

  • Book
  • © 2003

Overview

Editors:
  1. Eckart Voland

    1. Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

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  2. Karl Grammer

    1. Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • What is "ugly", what is "beautiful"? This book explains that also this judgement is a product of evolution

  • Exciting new research area

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-X
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  2. Introduction

    1. Introduction

      • Karl Grammer, Eckart Voland
      Pages 1-5

  3. The Problem

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 7-7
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    2. Darwinian Aesthetics Informs Traditional Aesthetics

      • Randy Thornhill
      Pages 9-35

  5. The Fitness of Beauty — Aesthetics and Adaptation

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 171-171
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    2. Beauty and Sex Appeal: Sexual Selection of Aesthetic Preferences

      • Uta Skamel
      Pages 173-200

    3. Beyond Nature Versus Culture: A Multiple Fitness Analysis of Variations in Grooming

      • Michael R. Cunningham, Stephen R. Shamblen
      Pages 201-237

    4. Aesthetic Preferences in the World of Artifacts — Adaptations for the Evaluation of ‘Honest Signals’?

      • Eckart Voland
      Pages 239-260

    5. Handaxes: The First Aesthetic Artefacts

      • Steven Mithen
      Pages 261-275

  6. Modular Aesthetics

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 277-277
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    2. Human Habitat Preferences: A Generative Territory for Evolutionary Aesthetics Research

      • Bernhart Ruso, LeeAnn Renninger, Klaus Atzwanger
      Pages 279-294

    3. Bodies in Motion: A Window to the Soul

      • Karl Grammer, Viktoria Keki, Beate Striebel, Michaela Atzmüller, Bernhard Fink
      Pages 295-323

    4. Perfumes

      • Manfred Milinski
      Pages 325-339

    5. Do Women Have Evolved Adaptation for Extra-Pair Copulation?

      • Randy Thornhill, Steven W. Gangestad
      Pages 341-368

  7. Back Matter

    Pages 369-377
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Keywords

About this book

Evolutionary Aesthetics is the attempt to understand the aesthetic judgement of human beings and their spontaneous distinction between "beauty" and "ugliness" as a biologically adapted ability to make important decisions in life. The hypothesis is - both in the area of "natural beauty" and in sexuality, with regard to landscape preferences, but also in the area of "artificial beauty" (i.e. in art and design) - that beauty opens up fitness opportunities, while ugliness holds fitness risks. In this book, this adaptive view of aesthetics is developed theoretically, presented on the basis of numerous examples, and its consequences for evolutionary anthropology are illuminated.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Center for Philosophy and Foundations of Science, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

    Eckart Voland

  • Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Karl Grammer

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Evolutionary Aesthetics

  • Editors: Eckart Voland, Karl Grammer

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-07142-7

  • Publisher: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-540-43670-6Published: 12 June 2003

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-642-07822-4Published: 10 April 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-662-07142-7Published: 17 April 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: X, 380

  • Topics: Behavioral Sciences, Evolutionary Biology, Philosophy, general, Zoology

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