What is art?

Undertoad · 12-01-2018, 11:14 AM

People like music because they like *patterns*. If the patterns are too obvious, we say the music is lame. When the patterns are typical enough to recognize, but unusual enough to be surprising, we like it. When the patterns are too unusual and unrecognizable, we say the music is confusing.

We then apply meaning and story to those patterns, so we can recognize them and codify them. This is actually all because recognizing patterns is important to all animals' survival in nature. One beat is a predator's footsteps, coming for us. Another beat is our family's footsteps, or even our mother's heartbeat in the womb. The sounds of both danger and of safety are a deep part of our evolution and our understanding of the world.

People like songs with lyrics, because they present patterns that are already given meaning. Before the development of writing and printing, early humans advanced by creating stories, poetry, and songs they could remember across generations. By using sounds that were similar in pattern (i.e., rhymes) they could more easily remember them. This gave stories, poetry, and music much greater importance as knowledge and wisdom could now spread across generations more easily.

This is why art is a part of human evolution, why it is deeply spiritual, and why nobody much lives without some form of it in their lives.

12-01-2018, 11:14 AM	#21
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	People like music because they like patterns. If the patterns are too obvious, we say the music is lame. When the patterns are typical enough to recognize, but unusual enough to be surprising, we like it. When the patterns are too unusual and unrecognizable, we say the music is confusing. We then apply meaning and story to those patterns, so we can recognize them and codify them. This is actually all because recognizing patterns is important to all animals' survival in nature. One beat is a predator's footsteps, coming for us. Another beat is our family's footsteps, or even our mother's heartbeat in the womb. The sounds of both danger and of safety are a deep part of our evolution and our understanding of the world. People like songs with lyrics, because they present patterns that are already given meaning. Before the development of writing and printing, early humans advanced by creating stories, poetry, and songs they could remember across generations. By using sounds that were similar in pattern (i.e., rhymes) they could more easily remember them. This gave stories, poetry, and music much greater importance as knowledge and wisdom could now spread across generations more easily. This is why art is a part of human evolution, why it is deeply spiritual, and why nobody much lives without some form of it in their lives.

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