著者

岡ノ谷 一夫

出版者

日本認知科学会

雑誌

認知科学 (ISSN:13417924)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.20, no.1, pp.19-26, 2013-03-01 (Released:2014-11-20)

参考文献数

24

被引用文献数

2

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Art, like language, is a unique feature of human behavior. Here I present a biological account for the evolution of artistic behavior in humans. To do this, I first utilize the idea of “four questions” formulated by Tinbergen in classical ethology. By that, I point out the importance to deal not only proximate causes but also ultimate causes of artistic behavior, because such an approach enables an inclusive treatment of classical and contemporary arts. I then submit a dimensional theory of art, which is inspired from the dimensional theory of emotion. The dimensional theory of emotion accounts for the perception of facial expressions in terms of the two dimensions, the valence and the arousal. Likewise, the dimensional theory of artistic behavior tries to identify the axes by which the product of art is evaluated. I suggest that aesthetic, arousal, and social dimensions are necessary to account for art. In this schema, art is a process of finding a new niche in the 3-dimensional art space.