Book Group -- "The Art Instinct"

The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution, by Denis Dutton (2009) argues that human proclivities for art are evolutionary traits, shaped by natural selection--inborn and in some ways universal. This approach to art challenges purely cultural explanations of human variety in artistic expression, and takes issue with many familiar aesthetic arguments over such questions as "what is art?" and the role of interpretation. Dutton incorporates scholarship from a variety of disciplines, and is readable for general audiences.