Wednesday, November 17, 2010

On Aesthetics, Ants, Adoption and Cadavers.

Time for some brain food. To battle the vacivity* of mind. And I bet you are just itching to find out what aesthetics, ants, adoption and cadavers have to do with one another.

















Not much, actually. Except that they are subjects of different articles/books I have been reading over the last couple of weeks.
  • Which "aesthetics" do you mean? Ten definitions - I recently purchased this book by Leonard Koren (author of wabi-sabi). It is a short treatise, consisting of 10 different definitions for the term "aeshetics" (i.t.o. appearance, style, taste, as a philosophy of art, a thesis or exegesis, a synonym for artistic, beauty, beautification, a cognitive mode, and a language.)
  • Are ants industrious little workers, teachers to us all, benificent saints, or teeny, tiny Nazis? I found this article about the entemologist  E.O. Wilson illuminating, and frankly, a little scary. I may want to read his novel, Anthill, now.
  • An article about working with cadavers - about time that they are treated with a little respect, I would say ...
  • And finally, a fun site. Yes, you can adopt too! (*this one is mine)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have made my brain hurt!!

Leenie said...

An attention-grabbing post title for sure! And a great bunch of links to fascinating info. Thanks! No one should say you're not eclectic!

annekata said...

Just read the ant article. Very very interesting. Puts things right into perspective. I really love your "food for thought" posts.

Have you seen how Leonard Koren lives? In the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/garden/23leonard.html

I was really surprised.

Linda Sue said...

Awesome NOVA production of Ed- I just watched your link- the ads might bug but WOW what an important program, important man! Thank you this is the BEST!
Very timely- lately I have been obsessed with sociobiology, the ramifications of chemical and genetic foundations to behaviours...Oxytocin and variations of COMT gene which may mean that there are no BAD people- they just can't help it because of chemistry...consequently they are taken out of society- not survival of the fittest at all rather survival of those who bond and are altruistic - survival of the entire species...SO COOL - thanks!!!

nathalie et cetera said...

wow! thank you for all these interesting links. Now I know what to do this weekend!