Survival of the beautiful

Correspondence to: Tam Hunt; Email: [email protected] Submitted: 04/29/13; Accepted: 04/29/13 Citation: Hunt T. Survival of the beautiful: A conversation with David Rothenberg about evolution and beauty. Commun Integr Biol 2013; 6: e24857; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cib.24857 With respect to beauty, there is a growing awareness that even though determinations of beauty in particular cases shall remain entirely subjective, there is indeed a movement toward beauty in all animals and perhaps in all things. The somewhat misleading phrase that captures this truth in biology is “sexual selection.” Sexual attraction is indeed its primary mechanism, but we can infer, through the observed behaviors of animals and even in plants at a far more rudimentary level, that there is an appreciation for beauty that goes beyond sex itself. This is a controversial area, partly because of what I call “the behaviorist hangover.” Behaviorism held sway in much of the 20th Century and its proponents argued that we shouldn’t infer thoughts/feelings in animals or even other humans. Rather, we should stick entirely to observed behaviors and avoid explanations that rely on inferred mental states. This view has rightly been refuted not only because it is de-humanizing, but because anyone who has a pet or is around non-human animals for much time knows full well that other animals have rich inner lives, mood states, preferences, etc. Even though behaviorism has been largely rejected, there is still a tendency in many scientists and other intellectuals today to denigrate reasonable inferences about mental and emotional states. Survival of the beautiful A conversation with David Rothenberg about evolution and beauty