2006-10-21 05:30:21 · 7 answers · asked by Red Yeti 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
what role does Art play in it? Why do we do it?
2006-10-21 05:34:53 · update #1
What does it have to do with survival and reproduction?
2006-10-21 05:35:42 · update #2
Art is a major role in our society. Most people don't see that but take away the art and see what is left.....only darkness and drab.
2006-10-21 15:15:20 · answer #1 · answered by Janet lw 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What do you mean "why do we do it?" We don't *do* anything.
To answer your main question "aesthetics and creativity" play no role in the evolutionary process. Evolution is a natural process that occurs by chance. Every day, your cells duplicate their DNA in order to divide, and every time they duplicate the DNA, they mess up a single base or two. That's called a mutation. Of course, there are many forms of mutations, and they can occur in other ways than simple mistakes when just dividing (like if the DNA in a skin cell is hit by a UV ray). In any case, these mutations are not usually good things. They can cause cancer, and on a reproductive level can cause other diseases like muscular dystrophy.
Every once in awhile, however, a mutation may cause a positive change in the molecular functioning of the cell. The idea behind evolution is that when a positive change occurs, the organism will be more fit to survive (and/or reproduce), in which case that organism will survive longer and have more offspring. If the mutation really does have an advantage, the offspring will survive longer as well, and eventually that mutation will either spread through the population or, if a number of positive mutations occur within that portion of the population, it will break away and become a new species.
That's quite a simplistic explanation, but the point is that you can see that evolution occurs based on two things: one, chance mutation of the DNA, which is, of course, purely chance and has nothing to do with creativity and aesthetics, and two, the idea that the chance mutation creates in advantage in that organism, which is all about survival and reproduction, and again nothing to do with aesthetics and creativity.
I rather think you're thinking of "god" when you speak of aesthetics and creativity, and seeing as how there are so many bad mutations and how it takes so many mistries for even one mutation to be beneficial, it doesn't seem to rally much support.
2006-10-21 12:46:04 · answer #2 · answered by maypoledancer 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that's like asking what role does aesthetics and creativity play in gravitation, it doesn't. Evolution is a collection of physical processes, it could lead to an organism that includes things like creativity (i'm sure creativity is beneficial in an evolutionary sense), but there is no way it could be part of the actual process
2006-10-21 12:36:39 · answer #3 · answered by Nick F 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aestetics is an abstract idea, which can only be attributed to a self-aware entity. Creativity is also the result of an intelligent mind. Both of these being present in nature speaks to the existence of a creator.
2006-10-21 12:36:30 · answer #4 · answered by Epitome_inc 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Evolution has nothing to do with the survival process.
GOD made everything perfect. nothing needs to evolve.
2006-10-21 12:52:36 · answer #5 · answered by JaimeM 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
without art or aesthetics we would be blobs.
2006-10-21 18:31:53 · answer #6 · answered by peppermint_paddy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In your case, not much.
None at all, function not form.
2006-10-21 12:32:36 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋