--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Stu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Gillam" <jpgillam@> > wrote: > > > > > --- curtisdeltablues wrote: > > > > > > > Gillam wrote: > > > > > > > What's the evolutionist's answer to the question? I would > > > > think it would have something to do with how enjoying > > > > life helps further life. Simple. The people who could not > > > > see beauty were more likely to say, "What the fuck," and > > > > give up. > > > > > > I don't believe that human happiness has > > > to have a reason. It doesn't seem to > > > really be a product of the gene's need to > > > reproduce since so often the desire to have > > > kids beyond someone's means brings unhappiness > > > and struggle. Many miserable bastards seem to > > > do quite well in surviving and perpetuating > > > their genes. > > > > Yeah, lots of people are depressed, for example. > > You'd think evolution would have had enough > > time to weed depression out of the mix if > > being happy was essential to survival and the > > propagation of the species. > > > > I'm genuinely interested in having someone > > explain how beauty and the appreciation of > > beauty help propagate life. I'm not > > coming up with a very persuasive explanation > > on my own. I'm more comfortable with the > > consciousness theory in this regard - that > > love, truth and beauty are the Holy Trinity > > of the underlying force of life. > > Evolution is about adapting to a given environment. Thus life > in the water over the course of millions of years will become > perfectly suited to water. A well evolved species will live in > perfect harmony with the living things and physical world around > them. That is the nature of evolution. > > Love, truth and beauty is the recognition of this harmony around us. > They are part of nature, its part of us. No supernatural stuff need > apply. Even a hardened materialist can appreciate the organic unity > of these ideals.
Plus, there is a simple physiological reason why viewing certain "things of beauty" is perceived as calming and inspirational. It's all in the eyes. You stand on the rim of Grand Canyon and look out and you feel uplifted. Well, it's physiological. The muscles that control your eyes are at rest when they are focused on infinity (that is, far distances, not "infinity" per se). When they have to focus on something closer, there is always some subtle strain in the system, because the muscles are working to hold the eyes focused on those closer objects. So vistas are perceived to be inspiring because our brain (*real* close to the eyes, after all) notices the lack of strain. Now imagine living pretty much one's whole life inside buildings where you can never focus far away, or in cities where again you can never focus far away. Go out into the countryside for a day and your eyes get to see a horizon again, and relax. As a result, you feel more relaxed and uplifted. One wonders if there are similar mechanisms in place for other "uplifting" phenomena. I know of at least one -- the sound of the sea or of falling water. That's pure "white noise," which is test- ably associated with being perceived as relaxing by humans. Could there be similar physiological effects in place for smelling a flower, or even for noticing its beauty?
