Troubles With the Evolution of Art: Analysis of Denis Dutton’s Concept of the Art Instinct Cover Image

Kłopoty z ewolucją sztuki. Analiza koncepcji instynktu sztuki Denisa Duttona
Troubles With the Evolution of Art: Analysis of Denis Dutton’s Concept of the Art Instinct

Author(s): Piotr M. Sękowski
Subject(s): Aesthetics, Contemporary Philosophy
Published by: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN
Keywords: Denis Dutton; art instinct; Darwin aesthetics; theory of evolution; bio-humanities;

Summary/Abstract: The article presents an analysis of the concept of the art instinct. This is a notion introduced by Denis Dutton in his concept of the evolution of art. The autor analyses the internal coherency of Dutton’s concept and its implications, with investigations in the context of evolutionary biology and biological anthropogenesis. The article’s conclusions are that: (1) the idea of art instinct is incoherent and difficult to uphold in the light of contemporary knowledge of the mechanisms of evolution and the course of anthropogenesis; (2) it is, however, a notion that is convenient and explanatorily efficient, as long as one accepts—among other things—the reservation about the non-teleological course of evolution; (3) the art instinct and the phenomenon of art cannot be explained without referring to social processes.

  • Issue Year: 65/2021
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 121-138
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish