The Biological Basis of Mathematical Beauty.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_68EA3E4CBB98
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Biological Basis of Mathematical Beauty.
Journal
Frontiers in human neuroscience
ISSN
1662-5161 (Print)
ISSN-L
1662-5161
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2018
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
12
Pages
467
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Our past studies have led us to divide sensory experiences, including aesthetic ones derived from sensory sources, into two broad categories: biological and artifactual. The aesthetic experience of biological beauty is dictated by inherited brain concepts, which are resistant to change even in spite of extensive experience. The experience of artifactual beauty on the other hand is determined by post-natally acquired concepts, which are modifiable throughout life by exposure to different experiences (Zeki, 2009; Zeki and Chén, 2016). Hence, in terms of aesthetic rating, biological beauty (in which we include the experience of beautiful faces or human bodies) is characterized by less variability between individuals belonging to different ethnic origins and cultural backgrounds or the same individual at different times. Artifactual beauty (in which we include the aesthetic experience of human artifacts, such as buildings and cars) is characterized by greater variability between individuals belonging to different ethnic and cultural groupings and by the same individual at different times. In this paper, we present results to show that the experience of mathematical beauty (Zeki et al., 2014), even though it constitutes an extreme example of beauty that is dependent upon (mathematical) culture and learning, is consistent with one of the characteristics of the biological categories, namely a lesser variability in terms of the aesthetic ratings given to mathematical formulae experienced as beautiful.
Keywords
Mathematical beauty, biological beauty, artifactual beauty, deductive logic, neuroesthetics, mathematical beauty
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
11/01/2024 18:05
Last modification date
18/01/2024 15:13