Some people have a way with words, and other people...oh, uh, not have way.
Hey, it’s UniScoops! We’re the academic version of The Traitors: lots of plot twists, but everyone’s a Faithful.
Here’s a taste of what we’re serving today:
The relationship between Art and Nature 🌲
PLUS: Deskilling Our Bodies, How Was e Discovered, and The Grand Canyon’s Lost History 🏞️
PHILOSOPHY
The relationship between Art and Nature 🌲
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with beauty and art. Traditionally, aesthetics did not include nature. This is because traditional notions of the aesthetic ignored natural beauty, instead strictly defining aesthetics as the philosophy of art. This interesting exclusion of nature raises thought-provoking questions about what constitutes art and how we respond to art.
💡 Things to consider
The Sublime in Nature and Art: Philosopher Ronald Hepburn talks about how sublimity of nature i.e. how it allows one to experience the overwhelming energies of nature and the vastness of space and time, as well as ‘realise’ one’s own place in space and time. Reflect on the concept of the sublime and how it manifests in both nature and art. How do experiences of grandeur and awe in the natural world compare to encounters with extraordinary works of art? Are there similarities in the emotional responses they evoke, and what might these similarities reveal about nature and aesthetics?
Art and nature = too different?: Hepburn discusses one objection to his argument, that nature is just too different to conventional art for it to count as an aesthetic experience. For instance, in art, the appreciator is often detached from the art object, whereas in nature, one is often surrounded (e.g. by a forest). Can you think of any other differences between art and nature? Do you think these differences are large enough for us to exclude nature from aesthetics?
Implications for Aesthetic Education: Does/should nature change the way in which we teach people (especially children) about art? Some people believe that art institutions such as museums are elitist: does including the natural world democratise art and make it more accessible? Should this even be a factor one considers when trying to ‘define’ art?
🔎 Find out more
Hepburn, Ronald. "Contemporary aesthetics and the neglect of natural beauty." British analytical philosophy (1966): 285-310.
🍒 The cherry on top
📱 Deskilling Our Bodies: This essay explores how our growing dependence on technology may be causing us to lose abilities we once took for granted, from navigating without GPS to remembering information and performing everyday tasks. It examines how convenience can come at the cost of practical skills, bodily awareness, and independence, raising questions about what happens when machines do more and more for us. A fascinating read if you're interested in Psychology, Technology, or Sociology!
🧮 How Was e Discovered? This video explores the fascinating story behind Euler’s number, e, and the discovery of logarithms and the exponential function. From the puzzle of compound interest to the mathematics of continuous growth, discover how centuries of mathematical curiosity uncovered a constant that helps explain everything from population growth to natural phenomena. A fascinating watch if you're interested in Mathematics, History, or Science!
🏞️ The Grand Canyon’s Lost History: This article explores how the Grand Canyon may hold clues to a dramatic chapter of Earth’s history that scientists are only beginning to piece together. By studying ancient rock formations and enormous cliffs, researchers investigate how geological forces reshaped the landscape over millions of years, potentially revealing a lost history hidden in the canyon’s depths. It’s a fascinating look at how even the world’s most spectacular landscapes can conceal mysteries about our planet’s past. A fascinating read if you're interested in Geology, Earth Science, or History!
👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…
Wednesday 21st October:
Thursday 22nd October:
Friday 23rd October:
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That’s it for this week! We’d like to thank this week’s writer: Gabriel Pang.
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