In this book, Terrosi proposes an innovative and penetrating approach to the discipline of aesthetics going beyond the traditional paradigm of the “two cultures.” On the one hand, he offers a cultural theory of aesthetics, starting from continental thought and Foucault's historical critique of knowledge, and moving against the forms of a scientific reductionism that propose an oversimplified view of aesthetics. Beauty does not exist because of a gene or a neural circuit, but because of values culturally and historically formed. On the other hand, in a neo-Darwinist perspective he is convinced that the evolutionary dynamics of memes lie at the basis of the historical development of cultural values of aesthetics, and he believes that genetic dispositions and neural circuits, while not determining the aesthetic values, constitute physiological presuppositions on which culture operates by constructing the various forms of aesthetic values and the various canons of beauty starting from historically and locally determined needs.

Giuseppe Patella, Università di Roma Tor Vergata

The author seems to have lived, in his young days, the feverish atmosphere of the intellectual Rome: instead of an established authority, there was a conflict of diverse fresh voices. This dynamism taught him what culture was. He projects this notion to the whole history of human beings (what an erudition he demonstrates here!), to position aesthetics (art and beauty) in its scope. He adopts the basic schema of Neo-Darwinism. What distinguishes the Neo from historical Darwinism? While the “gene” incites to relate beauty with mating, the Neo tries to trace the development (or evolution) of culture with the concept of “meme” (Dawkins). The author opposes the beautiful and the pleasurable (commodities). Beauty is conceived here in terms of intellect. Terrosi's critical spirit stands out.

Ken-ichi Sasaki, University of Tokyo

Masterfully retracing the main lines of the history of aesthetics, Terrosi lays the foundations of a culture-centered theory of art, and leads us towards a new, convincing idea of beauty.

Paolo D'Angelo, Università Roma Tre