Art and Adaptability

Reviews / Votes

"The text is said to offer a novel hypothesis on the evolutionary roots of art, based on theory of mind. In itself, this proposal is compelling..."
- Larissa Mendoza Straffon, Leiden University Centre for the Arts in Society

"The general argument of the book is interesting and sound, and is well developed with different layer of explanation.... The manuscript fits within an upcoming and ongoing tendency to study the origins of art from a cognitive perspective that specifically emphasizes theory of mind...doing so from a similarly interdisciplinary point of view. As such, the contents are both innovative and fitting within actual developments in this field."
- Eveline Seghers, Department of Art, Music and Theatre Studies, Ghent University

"Gregory F. Tague approaches two ancient questions, what is art and what does it do, in a new and intriguing way. Drawing on science, specifically evolution through natural selection, he proposes that art, like other forms of social behavior, is in part genetic, creative or imaginative impulse, and part environmental, social interaction. Support for this proposal comes from primate studies and current studies in neurobiology, cognition, intelligence and communication. He proposes, and I agree, that culture is common among great apes with whom we share social and mental abilities. Modern humans, however, unlike other primates, have a more highly degreed theory of mind. This ability to make predictions based on the perceived mental states of others facilitated our ancestors' ability to competitively cooperate. Culture, which would include art, was, as he explains, "part of a predictive attempt to affect another's emotional or cognitive outcome, often in subtle ways." As influence is a critical part of social behavior, art, which has costs that can be quite high, provides social benefits.
In sum, the road Tague takes to answering the questions - what is art and what does it do, how might it be connected to health, pleasure, play, sociality, and emotions - is complex; however, art is not a simple thing to explain. While he draws on many variables to build and support his argument, he provides the reader with a provocative and enlightening journey. Art and Adaptability is an excellent book - a fabulous search through many fields for an explanation of the curious behavior we call art." - Kathryn Coe, Ph.D., Professor and Lilly Scholar in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University. Author, The Ancestress Hypothesis: Visual Art as Adaptation