Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science, and Evolution
One of the "Best Science Books" for 2012 (Globe and Mail, Toronto)"A searching, accessible, and often ecstatic book."—Wall Street Journal"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 "[a] bravura investigation..with verve, multidiscipline fluency, and an encompassing vision, Rothenberg accomplishes his mission to change the way we perceive and understand the intertwining of natural evolution and human cultural evolution, beauty and life, art and science."—Booklist(starred) "The colour blue rules for the male satin bowerbird of Australia. The interior decorators of the avian world, they gather plastic, shells and feathers of that hue to adorn their meticulously built stick structures, all to lure a potential mate. This is just one indication, argues philosopher and musician David Rothenberg, that beauty is not random but is intrinsic to life—and that evolution proceeds by sumptuousness, not by utility alone. Rothenberg covers topics such as camouflage, abstraction, the profound impact of art on science and much more to explore his theme."—Nature "A door-opener to new ideas and connective tissue in the skeleton of science, particularly biology and Darwin’s theory of evolution. Chances are good you’ll find Mr. Rothenberg’s ‘mad quest for some evidence of aesthetic ideas in the very way nature is put together’ to be persuasive."—New York Journal of Books"Rothenberg is a learned and thoughtful guide across the realms of science and art."—Washington Independent Review of Books"[Rothenberg] seems uniquely qualified to be herald and interlocutor for the present convergence of biology and art."—Chronogrammagazine"I have been waiting for a long time for a book likeSurvival of the Beautifulthat suffers not a jot of art’s inferiority complex in the age of science … It’s one terrific romp through the ineffable and embracing glory of the aesthetic experience."—Alison Hawthorne Deming,Orion"This is the triumphant lesson ofSurvival of the Beautiful: nature is not entirely red in tooth and claw, it also allows the beautiful right of passage."—Peter Forbes,The Guardian(UK)"Rothenberg’s passionate optimism – a belief in the beauty of nature, and vice versa—together with his elegant prose turnsSurvival of the Beautifulinto an exhilarating and thought-provoking trip.—Philip Hoare,The Telegraph(UK)"Survival of the Beautifulis a wild ride. At its heart is a wonderful wish: to make us see the stories and the beauty in everything from the warbles of flying cranes to the cries of crows, From the shape-shifting squid to the bower-building bird, to the elephant and to the cryptic moth, which hides beneath his drab wing-tops a flash of crimson red."—William Bryant Logan, Toronto Globe and Mail"Rothenberg comes to an inspired conclusion: Aesthetic selection introduces a new kind of randomness into nature that unites art and nature, man and beast."—Christopher Potter,Sunday Times of London“Survival of the Beautifulis 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 ofCritical MassandThe 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 Beautifulis 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 ofYou 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 ofRational MysticismandThe 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