Survival of the Beautiful Art, Science, and Evolution

The Peacock's Tailis a revolutionary new examination of the role that art and culture play in nature and the evolutionary process. Taking his inspiration from Charles Darwin's observation that birds have a natural aesthetic sense, Rothenberg dives into the mysteries of why we create art, and why animals, humans included, have innate appreciation for beauty. Sexual selection may explain why animals desire, but it says very little about whatis desired. The beauty of nature is not arbitrary, even if random mutation and whim have played a part in evolution. Where does the diverse beauty of bird plumage come from? Why do different species of butterflies have different-and beautiful-patterns on their wings? What can we learn from the amazing range of animal aesthetic behavior? And what about the role of art in human evolution? Art is a part of life that has been around for millions of years, yet we rarely ask or explore why and how. Now is the time to find out where beauty comes from. Beauty has come from millions of years of the magic of evolution, and now it is time to let it find us. The evolution of artistry in the animal world can once again help us understand how beauty matters in the human world too.

David Rothenberg is Professor of Philosophy and Music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the author of books including Thousand Mile Song and Why Birds Sing. His articles have appeared in Parabola, The Nation, Wired, Dwell, and Sierra.

"Not many authors could find a way to interweave abstruse art theory with discussions of squid and their glorious "dynamic tattoos," elephants who paint, and Paleolithic cave art, but Rothenberg succeeds, with this entertaining wander through the world of art and the places where it intersects science."—Publishers Weekly  “Survival of the Beautiful is not just a book about beauty, but a beautiful book. And also an important one, which moves the debate about the biology of aesthetics beyond the cozy fables of evolutionary psychology to probe the deep nature of art and its origins. Both provocative and generous, Rothenberg’s work is pervaded with a sense of wonder at and appreciation of the world.”—Philip Ball, author of Critical Mass and The Music Instinct “David Rothenberg is a brilliantly fun guide on a journey that takes us from bower birds to the neuroesthetics of Semir Zeki. Survival of the Beautiful is just about the best travel literature of the mind out there. With wit by turns gentle and sharp, Rothenberg shows us how art is shaped by animals, and by us.”—Roald Hoffmann, chemist and writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry “The nerdy mindset of modernity often suffers allergic outbreaks when confronted with the softer side of cognition. Esthetic pleasures are then cordoned off from the serious core work of science. But David Rothenberg makes a convincing case that beauty is an intrinsic aspect of reality. He argues, among other things, that without modern art, modern science would have been hobbled by inadequately challenged cognitive habits. Beauty evolved. Perhaps we should take it seriously.”—Jaron Lanier, author of You Are Not a Gadget "What I love about David Rothenberg’s work is that he counteracts—with wit, poetry and philosophical subtlety—the prevailing tendency of most nature writers toward biological reductionism. While reporting on the latest scientific conjectures about beauty, human and inhuman, he shows that all our theories still fail to do justice to nature’s unutterable strangeness."—John Horgan, author of Rational Mysticism and The End of Science  “David Rothenberg is a rarity—an actual polymath—and his writing, like the music he plays, reveals an extraordinary mixture of curiosity, intelligence, and playfulness. Tracing complex ideas that link consciousness, human spirit, and creativity within the framework of Darwinian theory is the sort of book you would expect from a man who makes music with whales and cicadas. Where does the impetus for the making of art and music reside? How does that fit into an evolutionary scheme? Read this book, and enter into Rothenberg's world. You will be rewarded with a exploration of these questions that is both entertaining and revelatory.”—David A. Ross, Director Emeritus, Whitney Museum of American Art "A fun, freewheeling discussion of the role of aesthetics in evolution and a celebration of the beauty to be found in the great diversity of life."—Kirkus