Thursday, December 6, 2007

Aesthetics help the universe survive

Babies are born "cute" so parents don't discard them. That is nature's way. Beauty is a survival mechanism and the Earth is alive. Nature has programed our senses with the capabliity to cherish and protect beauty in the world. But doesn't this hold true for the Solar System, Galaxy and Universe as well? We protect what we find to be beautiful, whether its a child, a puppy, a forest, a mountain or a nebula. But what role do artists and scientists play in this process? Why do they care? Have they been programmed by God and nature to protect the universe? Scientists and artists, and others as well, study nature in order to perserve it. They study biology and medicine to ensure a child's survival. They archive data, such as DNA and landscape paintings, so we can perserve information for furture generations. A museum is an archive of beauty. A petri dish is also an archive of beauty. Scientists and artists are the white blood cells that help protect the system.


-joe

1 comment:

USC Animation - Visualizing Art and Science said...

I think babies get "cute"...they are pretty ugly for the first couple of weeks...Don't know if the whole "abandon theory on cuteness" necessarily applies. Just sayin...

Plus, do creatures other than humans recognize cuteness? I think a dog would choose an "ugly" person over a "cute" person based more off past kindness and availability of food rather than the cute factor.

-jake