A Darwinian theory of beauty | Denis Dutton

Translator: Murel Merivee Reviewer: Reelika Saar

Delighted to be here

On suur rõõm olla siin

and to talk to you about a subject dear to my heart,

ja rääkida asjast, mis on mulle südamelähedane.

which is beauty.

See on ilu.

I do the philosophy of art, aesthetics,

Kunstifilosoofia, esteetika

actually, for a living.

on õigupoolest minu töö.

I try to figure out intellectually,

Ma üritan saada aru,

philosophically, psychologically,

mis on ilu elamus nii filosoofiliselt,

what the experience of beauty is,

psühholoogiliselt kui intellektuaalselt

what sensibly can be said about it

ning leida selles nii mõistuspärast

and how people go off the rails in trying to understand it.

kui ka seda, mis inimesi ilu mõistmisel eksiteele viib.

Now this is an extremely complicated subject,

See on äärmiselt keeruline teema.

in part because the things that we call beautiful

Osaliselt sellepärast, et asjad, mida me peame ilusaks,

are so different.

on väga erinevad.

I mean just think of the sheer variety --

Pean siin silmas puhtalt ilu varieeruvust:

a baby's face,

beebi nägu,

Berlioz's "Harold in Italy,"

Berliozi "Harold Itaalias",

movies like "The Wizard of Oz"

filmid nagu "Võlur Oz",

or the plays of Chekhov,

Tšehhovi näidendid,

a central California landscape,

Kesk-California maastikud,

a Hokusai view of Mt. Fuji,

Hokusai vaade Fuji mäele,

"Der Rosenkavalier,"

"Roosikavaler",

a stunning match-winning goal

imeline võiduvärav

in a World Cup soccer match,

Maailmakarika turniiril,

Van Gogh's "Starry Night,"

Van Goghi "Tähine öö",

a Jane Austen novel,

Jane Austeni romaan,

Fred Astaire dancing across the screen.

Fred Astaire tantsimas ekraanil.

This brief list includes human beings,

See lühike nimekiri sisaldab inimolendeid,

natural landforms,

looduslikke pinnavorme,

works of art and skilled human actions.

kunstiteoseid ning inimeste oskusi.

An account that explains the presence of beauty

Kirjeldus, mis selgitab ilu olemasolu

in everything on this list

kõiges nimekirja kuuluvas,

is not going to be easy.

ei saa olema lihtne.

I can, however, give you at least a taste

Siiski saan ma anda teile aimu sellest,

of what I regard

mida ma pean

as the most powerful theory of beauty

kõige olulisemaks teooriaks ilust,

we yet have.

mis meil on.

And we get it not from a philosopher of art,

See teooria ei tule kunstifilosoofilt,

not from a postmodern art theorist

postmodernistlikult kunstiteoreetikult,

or a bigwig art critic.

ega ennasttäis kunstikriitikult.

No, this theory

Ei, see teooria

comes from an expert

tuleb mehelt, kes on

on barnacles and worms and pigeon breeding,

nuivähkide, ussikeste ja tuvide paljunemise ekspert.

and you know who I mean:

Ja te teate, keda ma siin silmas pean -

Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwinit.

Of course, a lot of people think they already know

Loomulikult arvavad paljud inimesed, et nad teavad

the proper answer to the question,

õiget vastust sellele küsimusele,

"What is beauty?"

mis on ilu.

It's in the eye of the beholder.

Ilu on vaataja silmades.

It's whatever moves you personally.

Ilu on see, mis puudutab sind isiklikult.

Or, as some people,

Mõned inimesed,

especially academics prefer,

eriti akadeemikud, eelistavad öelda,

beauty is in the culturally conditioned

et ilu on kultuuriliselt mõjutatud

eye of the beholder.

vaataja silmades.

People agree that paintings or movies or music

Inimesed on nõus, et maalid, filmid või muusika

are beautiful

on ilusad,

because their cultures determine a uniformity of aesthetic taste.

sest nende kultuuriline taust määrab esteetilise maitse ühtsuse.

Taste for both natural beauty and for the arts

Eelistused nii loodusliku ilu kui ka kunsti osas

travel across cultures

on üpriski

with great ease.

kultuuriülesed.

Beethoven is adored in Japan.

Jaapanis armastatakse Beethovenit.

Peruvians love Japanese woodblock prints.

Peruulased armastavad jaapani graafikat.

Inca sculptures are regarded as treasures

Inka skulptuure hinnatakse aareteks

in British museums,

Suurbritannia muuseumites,

while Shakespeare is translated

samas kui Shakespeare'i tõlgitakse

into every major language of the Earth.

peaaegu igasse maailma keelde.

Or just think about American jazz

Või mõelge vaid Ameerika jazzist,

or American movies --

Ameerika filmidest -

they go everywhere.

need jõuavad kõikjale.

There are many differences among the arts,

Kunstis on väga palju erinevusi,

but there are also universal,

kuid on ka palju universaalseid,

cross-cultural aesthetic pleasures

kultuuriüleseid esteetilisi naudinguid

and values.

ja väärtusi.

How can we explain

Kuidas seda universaalsust

this universality?

seletada?

The best answer lies in trying to reconstruct

Parim vastus peitub katses rekonstrueerida

a Darwinian evolutionary history

darvinistlik evolutsiooniteooria

of our artistic and aesthetic tastes.

meie kunstilistest ja esteetilistest eelistustest.

We need to reverse-engineer

Me peame uurima

our present artistic tastes and preferences

oma praegust kunstilist maitset ja eelistusi

and explain how they came

ning selgitama välja, kuidas need

to be engraved in our minds

meie teadvuses on kujunenud.

by the actions of both our prehistoric,

Tegevustest, mis on pärit eelajaloolisest,

largely pleistocene environments,

jääaegsest keskkonnast,

where we became fully human,

kus tegelikult inimesteks kujunesime,

but also by the social situations

kuid ka sotsiaalsetest olukordadest,

in which we evolved.

kus oleme välja arenenud.

This reverse engineering

Taoline inimese lahtimonteerimine

can also enlist help

saab tuge

from the human record

eelajaloolistest

preserved in prehistory.

allikatest.

I mean fossils, cave paintings and so forth.

Fossiilidest, koopamaalingutest ja muust sarnasest.

And it should take into account

Tuleb võtta arvesse seda,

what we know of the aesthetic interests

mida teame 19.-20. sajandini

of isolated hunter-gatherer bands

isoleerituna elanud kütt-korilaste

that survived into the 19th and the 20th centuries.

esteetilistest eelistustest.

Now, I personally

Nii, mul isiklikult

have no doubt whatsoever

pole vähimatki kahtlust,

that the experience of beauty,

et ilu kogemine,

with its emotional intensity and pleasure,

kogu emotsionaalse intensiivsuse ja naudinguga,

belongs to our evolved human psychology.

kuulub meie psühholoogia valdkonda.

The experience of beauty is one component

Ilu kogemine on üks osa

in a whole series of Darwinian adaptations.

darvinistlike kohanemiste seerias.

Beauty is an adaptive effect,

Ilu on kohanemisvõime,

which we extend

mida me laiendame

and intensify

ja võimendame

in the creation and enjoyment

meelelahutuse ja kunstiteoste

of works of art and entertainment.

loomiseks ja nautimiseks.

As many of you will know,

Nagu mitmed teist teavad,

evolution operates by two main primary mechanisms.

toimib evolutsioon kahel peamisel mehhanismil.

The first of these is natural selection --

Esimene neist on looduslik valik

that's random mutation and selective retention --

ehk juhuslikud hälbimised ja valikuline säilitamine

along with our basic anatomy and physiology --

ning meie anatoomia ja füsioloogia.

the evolution of the pancreas or the eye or the fingernails.

See on kõhunäärme, silma või sõrmeküünte areng.

Natural selection also explains

Looduslik valik seletab ka

many basic revulsions,

paljusid algelisi reaktsioone

such as the horrid smell of rotting meat,

nagu tülgastus mädaneva liha haisust

or fears, such as the fear of snakes

ning hirme nagu madude kartmine

or standing close to the edge of a cliff.

või hirm seista kaljuservale liiga lähedal.

Natural selection also explains pleasures --

Looduslik valik selgitab ka

sexual pleasure,

seksuaalset naudingut,

our liking for sweet, fat and proteins,

magusa, rasvase ja valgurikka eelistamist,

which in turn explains a lot of popular foods,

mis selgitab paljude toitude populaarsust

from ripe fruits through chocolate malts

ja seda puuviljadest ning šokolaadist

and barbecued ribs.

kuni grillitud ribideni.

The other great principle of evolution

Teine oluline evolutsiooni printsiip

is sexual selection,

on seksuaalne valik,

and it operates very differently.

mis toimib hoopis erinevalt.

The peacock's magnificent tail

Paabulinnu uhke saba

is the most famous example of this.

on selle kõige kuulsam näide.

It did not evolve for natural survival.

See ei arenenud välja ellujäämiseks.

In fact, it goes against natural survival.

Pigem on see ellujäämise takistuseks.

No, the peacock's tail

Paabulinnu saba põhjuseks

results from the mating choices

on paaritumisvalikud, mida teevad

made by peahens.

paabulinnu emalinnud.

It's quite a familiar story.

See on üsna tuttav lugu.

It's women who actually push history forward.

Naised on need, kes ajalugu kujundavad.

Darwin himself, by the way,

Darwin ise arvas muuseas,

had no doubts that the peacock's tail

et paabulinnu saba on

was beautiful in the eyes of the peahen.

emalindude arvates ilus.

He actually used that word.

Ta kasutaski seda sõna.

Now, keeping these ideas firmly in mind,

Pidades need ideed hästi meeles,

we can say that the experience of beauty

võime öelda, et ilu kogemus

is one of the ways that evolution has

on üks viise, kuidas evolutsioon toimib

of arousing and sustaining

ja erutust, huvi,

interest or fascination,

imetlust või isegi

even obsession,

kinnismõtteid

in order to encourage us

luues innustab meid

toward making the most adaptive decisions

tegema ellujäämiseks ja elu jätkamiseks

for survival and reproduction.

vajalikke otsuseid.

Beauty is nature's way

Ilu on looduse viis

of acting at a distance,

mõjutada meid

so to speak.

distantsilt.

I mean, you can't expect to eat

Kohanemiseks hea maastik

an adaptively beneficial landscape.

otseselt toiduks ju ei kõlba.

It would hardly do to eat your baby

See ei anna kasu lapsele

or your lover.

ega kallimale.

So evolution's trick

Evolutsiooni trikk

is to make them beautiful,

on muuta need ilusaks,

to have them exert a kind of magnetism

et need oleksid ligitõmbavad

to give you the pleasure of simply looking at them.

ja pakuksid naudingut vaid vaatamisest.

Consider briefly an important source of aesthetic pleasure,

Mõelge korraks olulise esteetilise naudingu allikale -

the magnetic pull

kaunite maastike

of beautiful landscapes.

ligitõmbavusele.

People in very different cultures

Inimesed väga erinevatest kultuuridest

all over the world

üle maailma

tend to like a particular kind of landscape,

kipuvad armastama maastikke,

a landscape that just happens to be similar

mis juhtumisi on sarnased

to the pleistocene savannas where we evolved.

pleistotseeni savannidele, kus inimesed arenesid.

This landscape shows up today

Sama maastikku võib näha

on calendars, on postcards,

kalendritel, postkaartidel,

in the design of golf courses and public parks

golfiradade ning parkide kujunduses

and in gold-framed pictures

ja kuldselt raamitud maalidel,

that hang in living rooms

mis ripuvad elutubades

from New York to New Zealand.

New Yorgist Uus-Meremaani.

It's a kind of Hudson River school landscape

See on nagu Hudsoni jõe koolkonna maastik,

featuring open spaces

millel on avarad

of low grasses

rohumaad

interspersed with copses of trees.

vaheldumisi puuderühmadega.

The trees, by the way, are often preferred

Puud, muuseas, hargnevad eelistatult

if they fork near the ground,

võimalikult maapinna lähedalt,

that is to say, if they're trees you could scramble up

mis tähendab, et need on puud, mille otsa saaks

if you were in a tight fix.

ohu korral ronida.

The landscape shows the presence

Sellel maastikul on nähtav

of water directly in view,

mõni veekogu

or evidence of water in a bluish distance,

või märgid veest sinaval horisondil.

indications of animal or bird life

Samuti on seal linnud-loomad

as well as diverse greenery

ning mitmekesine rohelus.

and finally -- get this --

Ja lõpuks, pange tähele,

a path

rada

or a road,

või tee

perhaps a riverbank or a shoreline,

või hoopiski jõekallas või rannajoon,

that extends into the distance,

mis kulgeb kaugusesse,

almost inviting you to follow it.

kutsudes endale järgnema.

This landscape type is regarded as beautiful,

Sellist maastikku peetakse ilusaks

even by people in countries

isegi neis riikides,

that don't have it.

kus seda ei esine.

The ideal savanna landscape

Ideaalne savannimaastik

is one of the clearest examples

on üks selgemaid näiteid,

where human beings everywhere

kus inimesed kõikjal maailmas

find beauty

leiavad ilu

in similar visual experience.

sarnases visuaalses kogemuses.

But, someone might argue,

Seejuures võib vaielda,

that's natural beauty.

et see on ju looduslik ilu.

How about artistic beauty?

Kuidas on lugu kunstiga?

Isn't that exhaustively cultural?

Kas see ei sõltu täiesti kultuurist?

No, I don't think it is.

Ei, ma ei arva nii.

And once again, I'd like to look back to prehistory

Selle selgitamiseks vaataksin jällegi tagasi

to say something about it.

eelajaloolisesse aega.

It is widely assumed

Varaseimateks

that the earliest human artworks

inimese loodud kunstiteosteks

are the stupendously skillful cave paintings

peetakse oskuslikke koopamaalinguid,

that we all know from Lascaux

mida teame Lascaux'st

and Chauvet.

ja Chauvet'st.

Chauvet caves

Chauvet' koopad

are about 32,000 years old,

on umbes 32 000 aastat vanad

along with a few small, realistic sculptures

nagu ka mõned väikesed, realistlikud

of women and animals from the same period.

naise ja loomade kujud samast perioodist.

But artistic and decorative skills

Kuid kunstilised oskused

are actually much older than that.

on tegelikult hoopis vanemad.

Beautiful shell necklaces

Ilusaid merekarpidest keesid,

that look like something you'd see at an arts and crafts fair,

mis näevad välja kui miski, mida võiks leida käsitöölaadalt,

as well as ochre body paint,

ning ookrit kehamaalinguiks

have been found

on leitud umbes

from around 100,000 years ago.

100 000 aasta vanustena.

But the most intriguing prehistoric artifacts

Kuid kõige intrigeerivamad leiud

are older even than this.

on veelgi vanemad.

I have in mind

Mõtlen siin

the so-called Acheulian hand axes.

niinimetatud Acheuli käsikirveid.

The oldest stone tools are choppers

Vanimad kivist tööriistad on kirved

from the Olduvai Gorge in East Africa.

Olduvai kuristikust Ida-Aafrikas.

They go back about two-and-a-half-million years.

Need on umbes kaks ja pool miljonit aasta vanad.

These crude tools

Need rohmakad tööriistad

were around for thousands of centuries,

olid olemas tuhandeid sajandeid

until around 1.4 million years ago

kuni umbes 1,4 miljonit aastat tagasi

when Homo erectus

hakkas Homo erectus

started shaping

neid tahuma

single, thin stone blades,

õhukesteks kiviplaatideks,

sometimes rounded ovals,

mis vahel olid ovaalsed,

but often in what are to our eyes

kuid enamasti meenutasid

an arresting, symmetrical pointed leaf

sümmeetrilist teravatipulist lehte

or teardrop form.

või pisarat.

These Acheulian hand axes --

Need Acheuli käsikirved

they're named after St. Acheul in France,

said oma nime St Acheuli järgi Prantsusmaal,

where finds were made in 19th century --

kus esmaleiud 19. sajandil tegid alguse

have been unearthed in their thousands,

nende leidmisele tuhandetes

scattered across Asia, Europe and Africa,

paikades Aasias, Euroopas ja Aafrikas -

almost everywhere Homo erectus

peaaegu kõikjal, kus Homo erectus

and Homo ergaster roamed.

ja Homo ergaster elutsesid.

Now, the sheer numbers of these hand axes

Selline kogus neid käsikirveid

shows that they can't have been made

näitab, et neid ei tehtud

for butchering animals.

loomade tapmiseks.

And the plot really thickens when you realize

Sellele hüpoteesile annab tuge ka tõsiasi,

that, unlike other pleistocene tools,

et erinevalt teistest tolle aja tööriistadest

the hand axes often exhibit

ei näita käsikirved enamasti

no evidence of wear

kulumise märki,

on their delicate blade edges.

isegi mitte peentel servadel.

And some, in any event, are too big

Mõned neist on igal juhul veristamiseks

to use for butchery.

liiga suured

Their symmetry, their attractive materials

Nende sümmeetria, atraktiivsed materjalid,

and, above all,

ja ennekõike

their meticulous workmanship

täpne meistritöö

are simply quite beautiful

on lihtsalt ilusad

to our eyes, even today.

ka tänapäeval.

So what were these ancient --

Seega, mis olid need iidsed...

I mean, they're ancient, they're foreign,

Need riistad on iidsed, nad on võõrad,

but they're at the same time

kuid samal ajal ka

somehow familiar.

kuidagi tuttavad.

What were these artifacts for?

Milleks neid kasutati?

The best available answer

Parim vastus sellele

is that they were literally

on see, et need olidki

the earliest known works of art,

varaseimad kunstiteosed,

practical tools transformed

praktilised tööriistad, mis muudeti

into captivating aesthetic objects,

haaravateks esteetilisteks objektideks,

contemplated both for their elegant shape

millel on elegantne kuju

and their virtuoso craftsmanship.

ja osav teostus.

Hand axes mark

Käsikirved märgivad

an evolutionary advance in human history --

inimajaloos evolutsioonilist edasiminekut.

tools fashioned to function

Tööriistad hakkasid toimima

as what Darwinians call "fitness signals" --

darvinistliku hea seisundi signaalina,

that is to say, displays

mis täitsid

that are performances

sama funktsiooni

like the peacock's tail,

nagu paabulinnu saba,

except that, unlike hair and feathers,

kuid erinevalt karvadest või sulgedest

the hand axes are consciously

on käsikirved teadlikult

cleverly crafted.

ja targalt meisterdatud.

Competently made hand axes

Arukalt tehtud käsikirved

indicated desirable personal qualities --

näitasid ihaldusväärseid isiksuseomadusi:

intelligence, fine motor control,

intelligentsi, käelisi oskusi,

planning ability,

planeerimisoskust,

conscientiousness

kohusetundlikkust

and sometimes access to rare materials.

ja vahel ka haruldaste materjalide omamist.

Over tens of thousands of generations,

Üle kümnete tuhandete põlvkondade

such skills increased the status

tõstsid need oskused staatust neil,

of those who displayed them

kes neid väljendasid

and gained a reproductive advantage

ja said soo jätkamisel eelise

over the less capable.

vähem osavate ees.

You know, it's an old line,

See on küll vana ütlus,

but it has been shown to work --

aga tundub toimivat:

"Why don't you come up to my cave, so I can show you my hand axes?"

"Äkki tuled mu koopasse ja ma näitan sulle oma käsikirveid?"

(Laughter)

(Naer)

Except, of course, what's interesting about this

Kuigi loomulikult on seejuures huvitav,

is that we can't be sure how that idea was conveyed,

et me ei saa olla kindlad, kuidas see idee edastati,

because the Homo erectus

sest Homo erectusel,

that made these objects

kes need esemed tegi,

did not have language.

ei olnud keelt.

It's hard to grasp,

Seda on raske mõista,

but it's an incredible fact.

aga see on hämmastav fakt.

This object was made

Need esemed tegi

by a hominid ancestor,

hominiidi eellane,

Homo erectus or Homo ergaster,

Homo erectus või Homo ergaster,

between 50,000 and 100,000 years

umbes 50-100 000 aastat

before language.

enne keele teket.

Stretching over a million years,

Ulatudes üle miljonite aastate,

the hand axe tradition

on käsikirved

is the longest artistic tradition

üks vanimaid kunstilisi traditsioone

in human and proto-human history.

inimkonna ajaloos.

By the end of the hand axe epic, Homo sapiens --

Käsikirve eepose lõpuks oli Homo sapiens,

as they were then called, finally --

nagu neid siis kutsuti,

were doubtless finding new ways

leidlik leidmaks uusi viise

to amuse and amaze each other

lõbustamiseks ja vaimustamiseks.

by, who knows, telling jokes,

Ehk kasutati naljade rääkimist,

storytelling, dancing, or hairstyling.

jutuvestmist, tantsu või soenguid.

Yes, hairstyling -- I insist on that.

Jah, soenguid, ma olen kindel.

For us moderns,

Nüüdisajal

virtuoso technique

ollakse oskuslikud

is used to create imaginary worlds

kujuteldavate maailmade loomises

in fiction and in movies,

kirjanduses ja filmides

to express intense emotions

ning emotsioonide väljendamises

with music, painting and dance.

muusika, maalimise ja tantsuga.

But still,

Kuid siiski

one fundamental trait

on fundamentaalne omadus,

of the ancestral personality persists

mis on säilinud eelajaloolisest

in our aesthetic cravings:

esteetilisest soovist:

the beauty we find

me leiame ilu

in skilled performances.

oskuslikes esitlustes.

From Lascaux to the Louvre

Lascaux, Louvre

to Carnegie Hall,

või Carnegie Hall -

human beings

inimolenditel

have a permanent innate taste

on püsiv sünnipärane tõmme

for virtuoso displays in the arts.

oskusliku kunsti esituse poole.

We find beauty

Me leiame ilu

in something done well.

asjades, mis on hästi tehtud.

So the next time you pass a jewelry shop window

Järgmine kord, kui möödute ehtepoe aknast

displaying a beautifully cut

ja vaatate kaunilt lõigatud

teardrop-shaped stone,

pisarakujulist vääriskivi,

don't be so sure

ärge arvake,

it's just your culture telling you

et vaid teie kultuur ütleb teile,

that that sparkling jewel is beautiful.

et see sädelev juveel on ilus.

Your distant ancestors loved that shape

Teie kauged eellased armastasid seda kuju

and found beauty in the skill needed to make it,

ja pidasid selle tahumise oskust ilusaks

even before

isegi enne,

they could put their love into words.

kui suutsid seda sõnadesse panna.

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

Kas ilu on tõesti vaataja silmades?

No, it's deep in our minds.

Ei, see on sügaval me teadvuses.

It's a gift handed down from the intelligent skills

See on kingitus, mis on pärandatud oskuste

and rich emotional lives

ja rikaste emotsioonide kaudu

of our most ancient ancestors.

meie kõige kaugematelt eellastelt.

Our powerful reaction to images,

Meie tugevad reaktsioonid piltidele,

to the expression of emotion in art,

kunstis väljendatud emotsioonidele,

to the beauty of music, to the night sky,

muusika ilule ja öötaevale

will be with us and our descendants

on meiega ja ka meie järglastega

for as long as the human race exists.

sama kaua kuni inimrass eksisteerib.

Thank you.

Aitäh.

(Applause)

(Aplaus)