NAKES, SUNRISES, AND SHAKESPEARE: HOW EVOLUTION SHAPES OUR LOVES AND FEARS
Book ID/图书代码： 13560014B70489
English Summary/英文概要： Our breath catches and we jump in fear at the sight of a snake. We pause and marvel at the sublime beauty of a sunrise. These reactions are no accident; in fact, many of our human responses to nature are steeped in our deep evolutionary past - we fear snakes because of the danger of venom or constriction, and we welcome the assurances of the sunrise as the predatory dangers of the dark night disappear. Many of our aesthetic preferences - from the kinds of gardens we build to the foods we enjoy and the entertainment we seek - are the lingering result of natural selection. In this ambitious and unusual work, evolutionary biologist Gordon H. Orians explores the role of evolution in human responses to the environment, beginning with why we have emotions and ending with evolutionary approaches to aesthetics. Orians reveals how our emotional lives today are shaped by decisions our ancestors made centuries ago on African savannas. During this time our likes and dislikes became wired in our brains, as the appropriate responses to the environment meant the difference between survival or death. His rich analysis explains why we mimic the tropical savannas of our ancestors in our parks and gardens, why we are simultaneously attracted to danger and approach it cautiously, and how paying close attention to nature’s sounds has resulted in us being an unusually musical species. We also learn why we have developed discriminating palates for wine, why we have strong reactions to some odors, and why we enjoy classifying almost everything. By applying biological perspectives ranging from Darwin to current neuroscience to analyses of our aesthetic preferences for landscapes, sounds, smells, plants, and animals, Snakes, Sunrises, and Shakespeare transforms how we view our experience of the natural world and how we relate to each other.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 我们一看见蛇就屏住呼吸。我们驻足并惊叹于日出的崇高之美。这些反应都没有意外；事实上很多我们人类对自然的反应浸润在我们过去的深层进化史之中——我们由于毒液的危险或收缩而害怕蛇，我们欢迎日出作为暗夜掠夺性危险消失的保证。我们的许多审美偏好——从我们自建的花园来享受喜欢的食物和所找寻的乐趣——是引人深思的自然选择的结果。在这个雄心勃勃和不寻常的工作中，进化生物学家Gordon H. Orians探讨进化的人类对环境的作用，始于为何我们有情感并于审美的进化方式结束。Orians揭示了我们现今如何有情感的生活是形成于几世纪前我们祖先在非洲大草原所做的决定。在那期间，我们的好与恶在大脑中上纲上线，因为对环境所做出的适当反应意味着生死之差。他丰富的分析解释了为何我们在花园或公园里模拟我们祖先的热带稀树草原，为何我们为危险的致命所吸引并谨慎地处理它，并且如何从对于自然之声的密切关注导致我们成为一个不同寻常的音乐物种。我们也了解为何我们开创了口味挑剔的葡萄酒，为何我们对一些气味强烈的反应，以及我们为何享受为几乎所有东西分类。通过运用生物学的观点从达尔文变换到当前的神经学来分析我们对于景观、声音、气味、植物和动物的审美偏好。蛇、日出和莎士比亚转换着我们如何看待自然界的经历以及人与人之间如何相处。（LNL）
Awards/获奖情况：“人的审美眼光并非一个对于任意形状颜色的令人费解的偏好但也许额可以看做是一种选择安全、健康且信息量丰富的周围环境的本能。这位著名的动物学家Gordon Orians，原创了强大而又有力的理论，现正引导着我们向一个丰富的假设对于为何某些特定的事物使眼睛、耳朵和舌头愉悦而另外一些则使得人们恐惧、驱赶或厌恶它们。这是一个使我们对于审美的理解有着美好的贡献并且使得科学家们、艺术家们和人文学者在今后的几年里讨论着它的理论。”
"The human eye for beauty is not an inexplicable preference for arbitrary shapes and colors but may be explained as an instinct for choosing surroundings that are safe, healthful, and informative. The eminent zoologist Gordon Orians, who originated this powerful idea, now treats us to a cornucopia of hypotheses on why certain things please the eye, ear, and tongue and others terrify, repel, or disgust them. This is a lovely contribution to our understanding of aesthetics and should keep scientists, artists, and humanities scholars debating its ideas for years to come." (Steven Pinker)"
About the Author/作者介绍： Gordon H. Orians居住在西雅图，在那里他是华盛顿大学的生物学名誉教授。他是多本书籍的作者及编者，包括最近的一本：《生物科学》。
Gordon H. Orians lives in Seattle, where he is professor emeritus of biology at the University of Washington. He is the author or editor of several books, including, most recently, Life: The Science of Biology.
Format:HARDCOVER
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