[Fis] Art and the Cognitive (Is art a human phenomenon?)

Sun Jan 11 20:35:53 CET 2026

Dear Mark,
Yes, you are right. I must think of your comment more for a while before
answering it in
detail. Micael Tippett (the interview you sent) gives an excellent examples
for art being
*more* than language. And another question is that how natural sciences
deal with soul.
Best,
           László

Mark Johnson <johnsonmwj1 at gmail.com> ezt írta (időpont: 2026. jan. 11., V,
12:22):

> Dear Laszlo
>
> Perhaps another way of asking your question is to ask why humans need art
> and dogs don't.
>
> Here is my favourite composer talking about his creative process as a
> process. He ends "why do we want it? Nobody knows. But human beings need
> this for some process that we must use the word 'soul'. And with this our
> souls are nourished. And then we are dead" -
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/_ce6lgJCXiI?si=Wq3wAEy_CZ5cn7mO__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!StL2JIDqjMhaC2PxG_3IaFltWUAmb3kIRI5KOMdi_N7NeTSjw6ey8UB1-ZtA4lD8Fl5NFHsVnE9nBj-3IyymOFuHmw$ 
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://youtu.be/_ce6lgJCXiI?si=Wq3wAEy_CZ5cn7mO__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VIDEDTyJZC4rfmaC7O18rXWi2oGsLnBunAxzsO-h3OIj7L9y00mE84K0A03l5HRXdp1iyraoIsWku6ClI0WwXYU$>
>
> Tippett was inspired by various psychodynamic theories and his view
> resonates with that of people like Jung and his followers - Herbert Read
> ("Education through art") or Anton Ehrenzweig ("The hidden order of art").
>
> Given this, to ask "what is the function that art performs that becomes
> necessary because of our being human?" is closely related to the question
> "what is the function that psychoanalysis performs?"
>
> That must surely be connected to the use of language,.conversation and
> some of the physiological issues that John Torday points to. There is a
> pathology in language and technology, and perhaps art helps us to keep it
> in check. Poetry speaks to this. And dogs don't have language.
>
> But perhaps a deeper question then is "what is being kept in check?" - our
> viable existence as individuals (going to the opera), or our viability as a
> species. If it is the latter (which I think it is) how does that work? How
> do we (and the artist) know?
>
> Best wishes
>
> Mark
>
>
> Dr. Mark William Johnson
> Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
> University of Manchester
>
> Department of Science Education
> University of Copenhagen
>
> Department of Eye and Vision Science (honorary)
> University of Liverpool
> Phone: 07786 064505
> Email: johnsonmwj1 at gmail.com
> Blog: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://dailyimprovisation.blogspot.com__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!StL2JIDqjMhaC2PxG_3IaFltWUAmb3kIRI5KOMdi_N7NeTSjw6ey8UB1-ZtA4lD8Fl5NFHsVnE9nBj-3Iyy7whPK7w$ 
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://dailyimprovisation.blogspot.com__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VIDEDTyJZC4rfmaC7O18rXWi2oGsLnBunAxzsO-h3OIj7L9y00mE84K0A03l5HRXdp1iyraoIsWku6Cl9F5Lt0s$>
>
> On Sat, 10 Jan 2026, 20:38 JOHN TORDAY, <jtorday at ucla.edu> wrote:
>
>> Dear Laszlo and FIS, when you ask whether art is unique to humans, I
>> think you have to ask that question in the context of physiology as the
>> origin of consciousness (Torday JS, Miller WB Jr. A systems approach to
>> physiologic evolution: From micelles to consciousness. J Cell Physiol. 2018
>> Jan;233(1):162-167.). And in that vein, only humans possess an Area of
>> Broca that integrates language and locomotion, great apes also having an
>> Area of Broca, but without language facility. It is the merging of
>> locomotor and language skills under the aegis of the FoxP2 gene  that is
>> the origin of Man's facility for art in my opinion, stemming from
>> bipedalism as positive selection pressure for our overdeveloped central
>> nervous system (Torday JS. A central theory of biology. Med Hypotheses.
>> 2015 Jul;85(1):49-57). Perhaps you could comment?
>>
>> Best, John
>>
>> John S. Torday
>> Professor of Pediatrics
>> Obstetrics and Gynecology
>> Evolutionary Medicine
>> UCLA
>>
>> *Fellow, The European Academy of Science and Arts*
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jan 10, 2026 at 11:04 AM Marcus Abundis <55mrcs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi László,
>>>
>>> From your introductory post, and the longer paper's abstract it is not
>>> clear what we are being asked to consider in your talk. I thought the
>>> 'whole matter' of art, etc. was a wholly settled matter, often framed as
>>> the 'Upper Paleolithic Revolution' (but at times called various names). The
>>> advent of cave paintings, etc. was seen as clear evidence for a human
>>> capacity for abstraction and abstract thought, first arising somewhere
>>> between 300KYA (first modern humans) and 50KYA (early evident artifacts).
>>>
>>> What exactly are we considering in your talk?
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Marcus Abundis
>>> 55mrcs at gmail.com (best)
>>> +41 62 844 2193 home (2nd best)
>>> +41 77 465 8977 (cell)
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jan 9, 2026 at 9:35 PM Csáji László Koppány <
>>> csaji.koppany at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear FIS Colleagues,
>>>>
>>>> This is rather a starting point of a conversation than a report of
>>>> research results; a call to think together and share our thoughts and
>>>> knowledge. The question in this kick-off text is very simple: Is art a
>>>> human ability? As a social and cultural anthropologist, I conducted
>>>> fieldworks in Asia, Africa, and Europe over the last few decades. Art
>>>> penetrates our everyday life and rituals; just think of the built
>>>> environment, music, design, literature, fine arts, vernacular arts, etc. I
>>>> have recently published a paper that addresses art(s), aiming to develop a
>>>> new definition from the perspective of cognitive sciences (see: Toward
>>>> a Multidimensional Definition of Art from the Perspective of Cognitive
>>>> Sciences | MDPI
>>>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.mdpi.com/3042-8084/2/1/1__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!Xrv66q4RXEKv2pWONoI8np-mus_kNGSc3EjXMgbnMskwKkNrkjmE_CkucMR_l-mR9kB5LSEAvPHhwXtKfFcx6TrO8g$>).
>>>> My attached kick-off text largely relies on this long paper.
>>>>
>>>> Numerous attempts to define art have been made from antiquity to the
>>>> present, yet historical overviews often adopt a Eurocentric (and
>>>> American-centric) perspective focused mainly on culturally dependent
>>>> aesthetic approaches. As a universal social and cultural phenomenon, art
>>>> resists center-periphery models. Art is not merely a unique representation
>>>> of reality, but also an ability to create new realities and thereby shape
>>>> society. Art has attracted and accompanied people from the dawn of history.
>>>> Some argue that acquiring the ability to create and appreciate art was one
>>>> of the few important steps in the process of becoming Homo Sapiens. Thus,
>>>> it is a universal phenomenon that spans ages and cultures—arising from
>>>> something fundamentally human.  However, is it really fundamentally human?
>>>> What gives its "merely" human factor? Do our experiences (image) on AI
>>>> development and its social functions support this idea? Ethologists,
>>>> cognitive scientists, and psychologists often over-emphasize one element
>>>> (e.g., visual symmetry-asymmetry, harmony, beauty, etc.) of art(s)
>>>> that seems suitable for their research methods. This seems a pragmatic and
>>>> reasonable solution, but it easily obscures the “big picture” and the core
>>>> of the problem. Thus, it remains a question how art can be considered as a
>>>> human activity. Consequently, artists and scholars have been preoccupied
>>>> since ancient times with the question of what art is, or how certain
>>>> prominent forms of art (visual arts, drama, music, literature, etc.) work.
>>>> Nevertheless, the abstract concept of art is not expressed by a notion
>>>> (word) in every culture. There are significant differences in the use of
>>>> the words linked to art. Moreover, the meaning of art has changed
>>>> continuously and significantly over time, albeit at different rates.
>>>>
>>>> The cognitive turn reshaped art theory by reconsidering art as a
>>>> cognitive dimension of humanity. Art has no limits on who can create or
>>>> enjoy it. The ability to use and understand metaphor, for instance,
>>>> demonstrates everyday human artistic cognition. I introduced a simple
>>>> vectorial model that aligns closely with the idea of family
>>>> resemblance in the sense that cognitive semantics conceives it as a kind of
>>>> categorization (meaning construction). This a 3D model rather than a
>>>> simple definition. Since art lacks a single, definitive prototype, no
>>>> strict, universal definition can capture all its forms in a yes or no
>>>> spectrum. My filed studies showed me the variability of artistic
>>>> practices (in craft, value, range of affect, etc.) that can be placed in
>>>> different ways within a space (and not a category) of art. In this model,
>>>> three coordinates form a space. These vectors (coordinates) are equally
>>>> relevant cognitive aspects: 1. Creativity, 2. Communication, 3. Experience.
>>>> For further, detailed argumentation see the attached file.
>>>>
>>>> Dear FIS members, dear colleagues in different scientific disciplines!
>>>> Do you agree or disagree that art is a human ability? If yes or no: what
>>>> kind of evidence can we set up for the argumentation?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best regards,
>>>>
>>>>                             László Koppány Csáji
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> P.s. See the attached file for further details and argumentation
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