Beauty

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In this groundbreaking work, Frederick Turner presents a new theory of aesthetics, arguing that beauty is an objective reality in the universe and a pancultural, neurobiological phenomenon. He draws on diverse fields such as ritual performance, paleoanthropology, neurobiology, cosmology, chaos theory, and fractal mathematics to describe evolution as a self-organizing process that fosters advanced self-reflection. Turner posits that the experience of beauty is a recognition of this evolutionary process and serves as a reward for participation in it. He suggests that aesthetic beauty functions adaptively, driving evolution through sexual selection, where individuals sensitive to beauty thrived amid cultural changes and excelled in mating rituals, contributing positively to species evolution. Additionally, he explores how neurotransmitters in the brain respond to inherited systems of beauty appreciation. Turner also discusses the implications of his theory for art and literature, asserting that artistic forms must be rooted in our biological inheritance, challenging modernist culture's rejection of beauty. This work radically departs from contemporary views in psychology, sociology, philosophy, and art, offering an alternative perspective that will engage a diverse audience, including artists, critical theorists, and philosophers.