Beauty

Denis Dutton’s lecture regarding a Darwinian theory of beauty interested me. He argues that “Beauty belongs to our evolved human psychology. The experience of beauty is one component in a series of Darwinian adaptations. Beauty is an adaptive effect, which we extend and intensify in the creation and enjoyment of works of art and entertainment.” Before coming across Dutton’s video, I thought beauty was in the eye of the beholder, not something that was handed down from our ancestors through evolution.

Dutton claims beauty can travel across cultures easily, that there is something deeper that causes us to see beauty in a certain way. Why does culture not affect our definition of beauty? In most Asian cultures, porcelain skin is considered beautiful as opposed to tan skin. Many women in Asia buy skin lighting creams to achieve the pale skin. This is because those with pale skin were thought of as upper class; they didn’t have to suffer the harsh sun rays from working outside. Let’s compare this to the United States. Here, rather than light complexion being the goal, many women spend hours outside tanning or spend money on tanning beds or spray tans. Why is that?

As convincing as Denis Dutton’s argument is, it is difficult for me to agree with it entirely.