The Enchantment of Beauty: a Possible Role for Aesthetics in the Origin of Writing
It seems that art and beauty were the initial catalysts for the invention of writing. At the dawn of humanity's journey with written language, there was a profound interconnection of images, bodies, emotions, redundancies, and affects. However, what happened as the process of perfecting writing progressed? What role does the aesthetic-artistic component play in the invention, development and functioning of writing? Is it an element to be progressively rid of, or conversely, a dimension that still continues today to energize and infuse writing with its power and vitality? How can Darwinian evolutionary theory, from both phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives, elucidate the relationship between images and written signs? My paper aims to explore the intricate intertwining and possible complementarity of art, aesthetics, and writing, with a critical reference to the increasingly disembodied nature of the printed word since modernity.
