October 03, 2006
Great neuroaesthetics primer:
Brain Ethics has a fantastic primer on neuroaesthetics for those wanting a concise introduction to the field that attempts to use neuroscience to understand art and aesthetic behaviour.
This is currently an exciting but fragmented field and Martin Skov gives an excellent account of the current state of understanding, as well as a guide to the best books available if you want to continue investigating yourself.
Neuroaesthetics can be thought of as a part of a more general study of art and aesthetics as a biological phenomenon. I will follow other proponents of this view (such as Tecumseh Fitch) in calling this broader approach bioaesthetics. The overall goal of bioaesthetics is to answer the three basic biological questions – what?, how?, why? – in regard to aesthetic behaviour in humans: what is art and aesthetics?; how does art and aesthetics spring from the brain?; and why did this cognitive ability evolve in humans?
Link to 'A short bibliographic guide to the emerging field of bioaesthetics'.
