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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 1:21 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: What is beauty? Is that inquiry susceptible to the scientific method?
Yes, in that we can discover why it is that certain standards for beauty, or cuteness, or any other attribute of appearance, based on our evolutionary lineage and psychology, and create a rough metric from that. It's not going to be perfect, but then, what is?
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm)Esquilax Wrote: It's not going to be perfect, but then, what is?
Obviously you haven't seen my glorious ass.
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Good point watch, if the aim of a piece of art is to be beautiful, then it can be tested to see if it is indeed beautiful according to a group of dudes and ladies.
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 1:39 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 12:14 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Well right off the bat the existence of a 'soul' is something that must be proven...and the only tools we have to prove the existence of something are surprise, surprise, the tools of scientific investigation. Also, philosophy or science might be able to show that a definition of "soul" or "paradise" is logically incoherent or would violate known science.
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Anybody remember Jubal Harshaw's thoughts on beauty?
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 3:11 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 1:46 pm)Gawdzilla Wrote: Anybody remember Jubal Harshaw's thoughts on beauty? I'm embarrassed to say that I had to look up the name on Wikipedia. I couldn't find the quote you mentioned though.
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 3:13 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 11:40 am)Parkers Tan Wrote: (February 17, 2015 at 10:50 am)watchamadoodle Wrote: It seems to me that "purpose" and "beauty" are within the magisterium of science too. For example, science can measure psychological wellbeing, productivity, emotional reaction, etc.
Take the example of cooking recipes. Science can measure the quality of recipes in various ways. One recipe might be nutritious. Another recipe might have mass appeal...
I don't think science is equipped to address æsthetics, or subjective matters like taste. I also don't think science provides "purpose" to anything.
Well, scientists have recently determined that penguins have lost 3 of the 5 basic tastes over time. They cannot taste the fish they eat or fruit given to them to eat. So they certainly can address that issue objectively.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201...131109.htm
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 3:20 pm
(February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: (February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm)Esquilax Wrote: It's not going to be perfect, but then, what is?
Obviously you haven't seen my glorious ass.
Well, I thought it was implied that that was perfect! 
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 3:21 pm
(This post was last modified: February 17, 2015 at 3:21 pm by FatAndFaithless.)
(February 17, 2015 at 3:20 pm)Esquilax Wrote: (February 17, 2015 at 1:38 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Obviously you haven't seen my glorious ass.
Well, I thought it was implied that that was perfect!
Indeed it is. Feast your eyes~
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RE: Non-overlapping magesteria
February 17, 2015 at 7:16 pm
(This post was last modified: February 17, 2015 at 7:20 pm by Thumpalumpacus.)
(February 17, 2015 at 1:33 pm)watchamadoodle Wrote: Science could measure our reactions to different stimuli, create hypotheses about these reactions, test these hypotheses experimentally, ...
And what would those numbers say about the nature of beauty?
(February 17, 2015 at 1:36 pm)robvalue Wrote: Beauty could be examined by the brain states it produced in the guy experiencing it I guess.
But yeah, an opinion on something is fine, it's not a way of finding stuff out, and it's not a claim. No uber-method is being pretended.
I think that art gives us insight into ourselves, which is very useful information. The fact that there are a multiplicity of personal views on art in its many forms makes me think it's so intensely personal that science cannot really address it in any meaningful fashion. Sure, you can take PET scans and pulse-rates, but what does that actually tell you?
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