"The Art Instinct" combines art and evolutionary science in a provocative new work. Sure to provoke discussion in scientific circles and uproar in the art world, this book offers radical new insights into both the nature of art and the workings of the human mind.

Reviews

"If you care about art writ large as a miraculous bounty for the world, or only for your own selfish sake, "The Art Instinct" should impress you as the most shrewd, precisely written and provocative study you'll find on its topic's place in human nature."--"Philadelphia Inquirer"

"An important book that raises questions often avoided in contemporary aesthetics and art criticism. [Dutton] has woven a powerful plea for the notion that art expresses a longing to see through the performance or object to another human personality.""--Los Angeles Times"

"Denis Dutton argues that humankind's universal interest in art is the result of human evolution. We enjoy sex, grasp facial expressions, understand logic and spontaneously acquire language--all of which make it easier for us to survive and produce children. In "The Art Instinct," Dutton contends that an interest in art belongs on this list of evolutionary adaptations... read Dutton's book: his masterful knowledge of art and his compellin