Is art the only act that sets us humans apart from the rest of the class of mammals?
All mammals have thoughts, almost all mammals have emotions, and nearly all mammals have a form of communication. So, what then, separates humans? How do we stand out? How have we, not other creatures, captured the world, sailed across the seas, and built structures taller than any natural growth? Scientists would tell you about the high ratio of brain-to-body mass and how that leads to higher-order thinking, but that isn't always a direct correlation. Elephants, for example, are known to exhibit complex cognitive thinking while maintaining a lower ratio than humans. So how have we made better use of the brain that we have?
I make my case that the art humanity has created (and the artists that create it) over the millennia is the sole reason why we are leaps and bounds beyond our "competition". No other animal consciously and naturally creates artistic pieces. However, humans do. The ancient human artist scratched on cave walls, the modern human artist scratches out Coke commercials. The progression that we have had between has been remarkable and unlike any other creature in history. There were the early years before we had developed societies, then came the early civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Babylon, etc.. The artists of that time period held the key to our success as a race.
Many of those first organized populations were built by the same creative ideas that were vital to the earliest forms of art. The beginnings of engineering, architecture, and invention can all trace back to the artists and inventive thinkers that built societies. Even during the modern era, the artistic spirit is necessary for the innovators of modern technology.
So, is art the only truly human act? Since no other animal has built societies and civilizations as sophisticated as humans; and artists can be linked to the development of civilizations, through the transitive property of life, artists created the human as we know it today.
The human we know today, however, is a dynamic being. It is constantly evolving and changing with the ebb and flow of the universe. Can our desire to know more about the present state of humanity cloud our ability to truly be human? Are we likened to an electron in that the more we know about the present state of humanity, the less sure we can be about where it is going?
To state that we constantly pursue cognitive knowing to the demise of humanity would seem to imply that being truly human is about not knowing. And that is true. If we knew everything about being thoroughly human, we would be so absorbed in being that we would forget completely about doing. I believe that this is only a hypothetical scenario. Humans will never be able to know everything about humanity because the more certain you are about knowing the abstract, the less you’ll know about which dynamic change is approaching, thus putting you back behind the metaphorical eight ball. Like I said: we are all just like a smear of negative charge around a nucleus (electrons).
-MrNicky900
I really, really enjoyed your entry. So many things are being pointed out to me in this class that I have never thought of, this concept being one of them. It never occurred to me that humans are the only living organisms that create art, and that maybe, as Abby was saying, it is because our capacity for emotion is so intense that we are able to put that emotion into physical form. I also enjoyed the witty way you expressed some of your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Zoe!
DeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteThe premise of your piece is quite interesting. It is my own personal opinion that save for the development of opposable thumbs, humans have gained very little in bodily and instinctual advancement, perhaps having even lost useful qualities. Art is, a human expression of emotion, I agree with that point completely. However, it is also my belief that while art is a unique quality of humanity, the components that drive the creation of art are just as defining as the finished product. The desire and capacity to communicate emotion and thoughts through means other than direct contact are things that I believe hold weighty significance. Of course, this would not be possible without the current shape of our hands. Elephants can create images with a bush, but not without painstaking training; humans take a few relatively short years to learn the same thing.
Your entry was quite thought provoking. I hope to be able to discuss what separates humanity from the rest of the the animal kingdom more in depth with you.
Nick,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post and thought it definitely included some interesting points. The idea about humans being the only species to create art was a controversial one for me. While I do agree that we have a much more conscious understanding of art as far as how and why we make it, I'm not sure that I agree we are the only ones to do it. Other species' systems for survival can often include various forms of art, depending on one's definition of the word. Take birds for example. They create incredibly intricate structures (generally nests) in which to care for and protect their young. In my eyes, these are another form of art, most similar to our weaving, I suppose, if you are looking for a comparison to a human art form. Besides that, I agree with you fully, and I also enjoyed your writing style quite a lot.
Yes Delaney I certainly see your point there, art is an extremely subjective topic. I guess that I always just considered art to be something that has no purpose other than itself and its being, but that's only my view, there are always thousands more which contradict it.
DeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your post. Your piece on the electrons was quite intriguing and I agree with your views. Although I do believe that higher-order thinking is what sets us apart from animals, some animals have been known to express themselves in art. Elephants have been known to paint pictures of other elephants, showing both that they can identify what they are drawing, and that they can express themselves with a brush and canvas. They do of course need to be taught by humans to do this feat, but they are expressing themselves nonetheless. Other animals also produce art as well depending on the persons definition. The Bird of Paradise devises an intricate dance to woo their mate, crustaceans will create an elaborate disguise themselves, and the example that Delaney brought forth. I was a fan of your last paragraph as well and thought it was cleverly constructed.