O VALOR EVOLUCIONÁRIO DO SENSO ESTÉTICO

STEPHEN DAVIES

Abstract

In “The Evolutionary Value of an Aesthetic Sense”, Stephen Davies investigates the evolutionary value of the aesthetic sense, arguing that the human capacity to appreciate the beautiful and the sublime is not a merely contemplative trait but an adaptive function that contributed to the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors. The author challenges two common conceptions: that the aesthetic mode is purely passive, and that aesthetic interest must be indifferent to an object's functionality. Instead, he proposes that the aesthetic sense often functions as emotions do: it lights up the world, pushing or pulling us in one direction or another, thereby providing a tool for navigating the world astutely and safely. Finally, Davies locates the emergence of aesthetic behavior around 400,000 years before the present and concludes that, although rooted in our evolutionary past, the interest in the aesthetic has expanded to all aspects of modern life. The original version of the article was published in the Italian journal Aisthesis: Pratiche, linguaggi e saperi dell'estetico, v. 6, n. 2, p. 75-79, 2013, of the University of Florence (UNIFI). The present translation is based on the final version of the manuscript revised by the author.

Keywords: Aesthetic sense; Evolutionary value; Adaptive function; Aesthetic behavior.