Beauty in Science

Whenever I reflect on the concept of “beauty” in any field, I am brought back to Dave Hickey’s Invisible Dragon. What struck me most about his writing was the notion of an “underground” understanding of beauty. I am so moved by this notion, in fact, that I am building my Honors Capstone around evaluating the question: What compels us to find something “beautiful”? Surely there is some reason that we love butterflies more than moths, or decorate with flowers and not grass. Though I have not begun my research into my capstone quite yet, I believe the connection is a scientific one. Somewhere in the universal human psyche, there lies some sort of detector. The natural attraction to symmetry, color and pattern lies here. Ultimately, I believe humans, in a glance, evaluate the geometry and primordial benefits to each stimulus and dictate beauty based on what fits these ideals. For instance, a flower grows its petals and leaves in the Fibonacci sequence. This is pleasing to the human eye that is already searching for some geometric nectar to satisfy the desire for order. Grass, however, grows blade by blade in seemingly no order. We even mow our grass in order to give it a clean and polished look. The only time we find grass to be beautiful is if it is manicured in even planes and shapes. Butterflies have stimulating colors and symmetrical wing patterns that catch our attention before the colors and patterns of moths. There is, however, the element of danger in beauty that is a diminishing trait among humans. Typically, something brightly colored would serve as a warning sign to an animal. In our age of mass marketing and technology, I believe that instinct has been diminished, allowing for us to be more attracted to brighter colors. Fibonacci sequence in a flower and romanesco cauliflower. Plants have developed this strategy of growth as it allows for the most sunlight.
Bilateral symmetry of a butterfly.
So yes, science is beautiful. We are predisposed to find these geometric occurrences visually pleasing. We were never explicitly taught that butterflies are pretty and moths are ugly. Nobody had to discuss the geometry of a flower that is absent in grass-- it is inherent. Different people around the world all have varying standards for what is beautiful in the man-made world, i.e. clothing, makeup, plastic surgery. However, the universal and “underground” interpretation of beauty remains the same across generations and cultures.

This notion of beauty influences science primarily in the field of psychology and neurology. I aim to investigate the neurological reactions of humans to various stimuli, be they beautiful or ugly. We all have a natural predisposition to distinct, “beautiful” visuals. Psychologically, beauty becomes something we seek based on nurture. The notion that we seek partners that reflect our own parents, or who secrete similar smelling hormones to our own. These are unconscious decisions that our brains make in order to find the best “mate”. Perhaps this is why historically, inbreeding was so popular. The overbearing notions of class and beauty were so intertwined that it was only “natural” for royalty to seek out their mirrored partners. The irony of this is that the long term effects result in scientifically unsatisfying features. Lack of symmetry, genetic disorders, shorter lifespans: these are all traits that we avoid when searching for a partner. Perhaps the reason for the fall of interbred dynasties. In terms of procreation, we require some level of chance or “chaos” to obtain the desired result. Mixing too similar gene pools, while attractive on a surface level, does not allow the nature of human development to take its course. Some things just need to be left up to nature. Ultimately, the universe dictates beauty before humans decide to comment on it. King Charles III of the Habsburg Dynasty: victim of inbreeding. Ended the dynasty due to infertility as a result of too much inbreeding. Also, has undesirable facial features (due to inbreeding).
Digital recreation of King Tut. He suffered from various ailments and deformities (club foot, epilepsy, overbite, wide hips). Tut died at 19, most likely as a result of these incestually developed disabilities. He and his half-sister bore two stillborn daughters-- again, most likely due to inbreeding complications.

Sources: Dave Hickey, Invisible Dragon

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