MODULE 2
1. For each video and article list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
2. Which philosopher's theory on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosophers name, era (time in history), and contribution to the aesthetic theory in your response.
3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture?
4. How do the videos and article relate to the readings in the text?
5. What is your opinion of the films and article? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading in the text?

1. Aesthetics: Plato- all things are beautiful in a way. Beauty and desire are connected, erotic appeal of beauty. This is not pure. Art confuses the authentic and the fake for the viewer.
Aristotle- feelings aroused by art or beauty is good for a person, atleast in moderation. His theory is a rebuttal to Plato's criticisms. Beauty is a mathematic equation of measurements and symmetry.
Hutcheson- beauty and good go hand-in-hand. Both are origins of God
Neitzsche- "only art can replace old mythologies"

There are many different definitions of art and it depends who you ask. Philosophers return to religion and sinful/not sinful to label beauty and art as a whole. 

2. It seems as though Aristotle does not take morals or political and religious reasoning into describing aesthetics and beauty which is a bit unusual for 300 BC, where everything is about religion. His reasoning is mostly scientific which is why I lean towards his theory.Yes, everything can be beautiful in its own way, but according to Aristotle, the human brain forms opinions on what is or isn't appealing to look at based on measurements and facts. It is even proven that babies favor looking at a more symmetrical face. When you are fresh out of the womb it is hard to have strong opinions on what you do and don't like looking at. This type of study lends itself to Aristotle's theory on aesthetics. 

3. The scientific view of art and aesthetics made a lot of sense to me. It was helpful how Changeux started from the beginning of human existence. Each speaker provided logical reasoning to why people feel the way they do about art. For example, aesthetic efficacy explains how art can effect a person through emotion and reason. When looking at a work of art it provokes feelings and emotion and those effects are seen in the brain. Ramachandran even stated that "science and art meet in the brain,". The scientists included facts from studies on symmetry and aesthetics on the brain throughout the video as well as personal stories. This supportive material made their points more convincing and legitimate.

4. What the videos, article, and reading all have in common is the confirmation that art is subjective but when returning to the basics of aesthetics and what is technically defined as visually pleasing, the brain is the main decision maker. People are still contributing to the argument with research and opinions today. 

5. When reading the chapters in the book, I had points from the videos and article in the back of my head supplementing the points made in the text. The video of philosophy and aesthetics complimented with the video of the scientists really showed me both approaches to aesthetics. This can be applied to understanding why an artist made certain decisions within an artwork.Also, if an artist knows how the viewer's brain is going to react when they see something, they might choose to include or omit that component.