“Why Did Homo Sapiens Evolve Into Artists?” with guest Valerius Geist
Originally recorded: July 28, 2017. Originally broadcast: August 13, 2017.
Many people regard art as a luxury. They think of it as fancy paintings, abstract installations, or the fashion that changes every few months. What few of us ever attend to is that fact that art is as old as humanity itself. It started with homo sapiens and developed alongside every other human ability. This episode of Why? Radio looks at art from an evolutionary perspective and ask what necessary purpose it served.
Host Jack Russell Weinstein says, “I learned so much from this episode, but more than that it surprised me…because everything Val said simply made sense. Philosophy rarely gives us clearcut answers. Evolution, however, is a very understandable science.”
Valerius Geist is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. He is the author of more than a dozen books, a specialist on the biology, behavior, and social dynamics of North American large mammals. He is also a champion of ethical hunting and a wildlife artist.
A transcript of this episode’s monologue can be found at our blog PQED. Click here to read it.
This episode was made possible, in part, by a generous donation from David Bjerklie of Montclair, New Jersey. If you would like to help keep Why? on the air, please donate today. Click here to donate.
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