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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Evolutionary psychology: Another reason to ignore it

In "Art, sex and Darwin in the spotlight" in the Otago Daily Times, New Zealand (February 21, 2009), we read that art is an instinct:
To take just a couple of examples - Why did people worldwide, when polled about their artistic preferences, seem drawn to realist paintings of a certain kind?

"What everybody wanted was the Pleistocene savanna landscape," Dutton explained at the AEI.
Nonsense: The grossly overrated Denis Dutton obviously doesn’t live in Canada.

Here, people go for vicious, toothed mountains and really, really deep, cold lakes.

Makes us feel right at home, which we are.

And I don't care whether Ape Man or Cave Dude would feel at home. This is OUR home and we like it here, even if they wouldn't.

Lots of people - especially new immigrants - have complained that my own province, Ontario, could use more vicious, toothed mountains. Aesthetically much nicer. I agree, but look - we got lots of water, okay. Lots. Come anyway.
I think that's Lake Louise, in Alberta, pictured above. I've seen people make coat buttons out of that photo. I would if I knew how.

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