The Emergence of the Modern Mind: An Evolutionary Perspective on Aesthetic Experience

Consoli, Gianluca

doi:10.1111/jaac.12059

Cited by 9 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…In ancient times, when the concept of art was absent, elements of creativity were already being incorporated into the production of ceremonial artefacts and daily essentials. It is even hypothesized that aesthetic experience stimulates the development of the conceptual self, thereby supporting a consistent self-image that satisfies the non-stop process of the pursuit of the self [45]. Therefore, aesthetic experience may promote an individual's advanced cognitive development to a certain extent.…”

Section: Identity Discovery and Formation Through Aesthetic Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic Experience Anchors Ego Identity Formation

Wang

2018

Sustainability

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The development of a coherent identity status, also referred to as ego identity, is critical during adolescence and early-adulthood. In the long run, an individual’s ego identity status may influence the sustainability of his or her well-being. Researchers have attempted to discover the predictors or factors correlated with one’s identity status. In that search, aesthetic experience, as a unique means of knowing oneself and the world, seemed to be overlooked. Philosophical and psychological discourses have asserted that aesthetic experience stimulated identity discovery and formation; this hypothesis, however, is not supported by strong quantitative evidence. Thus, an empirical study with a quantitative approach was conducted to examine whether those who have frequent aesthetic experiences are more likely to possess a mature ego identity. A sample of 758 valid questionnaires was collected. The results supported the argument that aesthetic experience favors the development of ego identity. In addition, this study revealed that sociodemographic backgrounds such as women, fine arts and design majors, and religious individuals were more likely to have a rich aesthetic life. The results imply that aesthetic experience serves as a crucial aspect that contributes to the wellness of personality development and promotes a healthy and sustainable quality of life.

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Section: Identity Discovery and Formation Through Aesthetic Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic Experience Anchors Ego Identity Formation

Wang

2018

Sustainability

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“…Although Desideri says that the mechanism is not innate and that his theory resists contrasting innativism (naturism) with historicism (nurturism), and universalism with relativism, he does not enough explain to what extent exactly the mechanism could be both innate and cultural, or universal and relative [12] (pp. 31,36). I shed more light on these issues.…”

Section: Aesthetic Gadget In Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…According to some current views, even the earliest indications of aesthetic value, such as bodily adornments, geometric rock patterns, and other images, often carry with them a reference to human sociality and thus, mindreading-and mindsharing [33] (p. 229], [38],. According to the hypothesis of Gianluca Consoli, mindreading is a condition for aesthetic experience, because these two coevolved [36] (p. 37). 22 An artifact would be incomprehensible as an aesthetic object without recursively attaching intentional mental state of the maker to it [36] (p. 48).…”

Section: Aesthetic Gadget In Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aesthetic Gadgets: Rethinking Universalism in Evolutionary Aesthetics

Kiianlinna

2022

Philosophies

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There is a growing appetite for the inclusion of outcomes of empirical research into philosophical aesthetics. At the same time, evolutionary aesthetics remains in the margins with little mutual discussion with the various strands of philosophical aesthetics. This is surprising, because the evolutionary framework has the power to bring these two approaches together. This article demonstrates that the evolutionary approach builds a biocultural bridge between our philosophical and empirical understanding of humans as aesthetic agents who share the preconditions for aesthetic experience, but are not determined by them. Sometimes, philosophers are wary of the evolutionary framework. Does the research program of evolutionary aesthetics presuppose an intrinsic aesthetic instinct that would determine the way we form aesthetic judgments, regardless of the environment with which we interact? I argue that it does not. Imitation and mindreading are considered to be central features of the aesthetic module. Recently, and contrary to the prior view, it has been shown that imitation and mindreading are not likely to be innate instincts but socially learned, yet evolved patterns of behavior. Hence, I offer grounds for the idea that the cognitive aesthetic module(s) is socially learned, too. This outcome questions the need for the traditional differentiation between empirical and philosophical aesthetics.

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“…60 Regarding this, the central point to emphasize here is that even the few people who deny this value acknowledge that aesthetic experience is a universal feature of the human species and that it is intrinsically characterized by the constant drive to innovate. 61 The available findings show that, at least since the Upper Paleolithic, so-called 'trans-historical' and 'trans-cultural' art, that is, the art realized first in archaic and then in pre-modern societies, emerged as a deliberate technical extension of aesthetic experience and its internal drive to innovate. 62 It is undoubtedly true that the style of cave art remained static over millennia and that the traditional art of present-day hunter-gatherers tends to be deeply conservative.…”

Section: Definition and Identification: From Ontology To Common Smentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergence of the Modern Mind: An Evolutionary Perspective on Aesthetic Experience

Cited by 9 publications

References 5 publications

Aesthetic Experience Anchors Ego Identity Formation

Aesthetic Experience Anchors Ego Identity Formation

Aesthetic Gadgets: Rethinking Universalism in Evolutionary Aesthetics

In Search of the Ontological Common Core of Artworks: Radical Embodiment and Non-universalization

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