The Arts (Art)

by dhw, Thursday, August 21, 2008, 09:27 (5937 days ago) @ George Jelliss

George wrote: "I don't see that appreciation of art in any of its forms has anything to do with atheism, theism or agnosticism." - "Being an atheist doesn't prevent me from appreciating the music of Bach." - Of course it doesn't. Being non-believers didn't stop Brahms or Berlioz from composing their masterpieces either. But I'm not looking at the influence of religion/non-religion on the appreciation or production of art. I'm trying to understand the provenance and impact of something that seems to defy explanation in terms of the physical, natural, evolutionary world. Art has no practical function of its own, so why is it important to us? The fact that it's "just part of human nature" is already known to me, but doesn't explain why certain sounds, images, shapes stimulate my emotions (and of course I also struggle to understand the origin of those emotions). Theists might claim that there is a connection with God, atheists might come up with a more earthly explanation, and as an agnostic I have put out my appeal for whatever anyone cares to offer me. - My thanks to David, Carl and BBella for their comments. BBella's posting suggests a fascinating natural explanation, and I'd love to hear more!