Reflections on the ideas of Art, Beauty, Aesthetics as well as their effects on the Brain.

My thoughts on the videos and CNN article:

1. For each video and article list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

For the First Video: Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts

From this video I learned the following key concepts:The difference between beauty and art and how something can be art but not be of atypical beauty.
The growth of the idea of aesthetics from how it started with Plato's interesting yet odd thoughts on art in general but no clear theory on Aesthetics to a more modern theory on the idea of aesthetics. I also learned about the evolution of art and how it grew over time.How the idea of beauty presents itself beyond the senses.For the Second Video :CARTA: Neurobiology Neurology and Art and Aesthetics
Although I found the video hard to understand due to poor picture quality and the accent of the speaker. (The professor thankfully reminded me to use closed captioning)!
I find the topic itself quite interesting as my major and most of my studies have dealt with Neurobiology. With this I have learned the effects of things such as art and prayer on the human brain via MRI studies of blood flow to areas of the brain during these activities and many others have been shown to be therapeutic and effective in nature.
The article was best in ease to understand since it was written and clear cut.
I liked how the article highlighted how artists have developed way to trick the brain,  how lAlthough I found the video hard to understand due to poor picture quality and the accent of the speaker. (the professor thankfully reminded me to use closed captioning) I find the topic itself quite interesting as my major and most of my studies have dealt with Neurobiology. With this I have learned the effects of things such as art and prayer on the human brain via MRI studies of blood flow to areas of the brain during these activities and many others have been shown to be therapeutic and effective in nature. The article was best in ease to understand since it was written and clear cut. I liked how the article highlighted how artists have developed way to trick the brain,  how luminance and color are important in creating the illusions of works of art and how our visual system has fast a stream which helps us navigate and slow a detail-oriented stream. I like how they explained that art is a "lie". How Pablo Picasso said
"We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies."
The way the article explains how the brain is believed to work in the way it interprets pictures. How the brain can be "tricked" per say in the ways in which an artist can use depth and brightness which are not actually there but can make works of art seem more real.

  

2. Which philosopher's theory on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosopher's name, era (time in history), and contribution to the aesthetic theory in your response.

Kant's theory on aesthetics was the most important and influential to me. 18th century Immanuel Kant ; I feel that his theory on aesthetics was also the most influential. He argues that it is our faculty of judgment which allows us to have an experience of beauty and understand those experiences within a natural ordered world with a purpose. I agree with this argument. While I found Plato's (4th/5th century BC)  ideas about art to be interesting he didn't have a theory about aesthetics. I do like The concepts the 1st video brought up while talking about him. That drawing of a triangle is nothing more but a copy of the idea of a triangle but it is imperfect. While naturally this is true there is no possible way to ever create a triangle or any other shape without imperfection. It can only be shown mathematically it's properties which would make a perfect shape. I think it is silly to try to say that one shouldn't make a "copy" or really representation of a shape as that is all that we have. 

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 speaker's lecture? 
Changeux and Ramachandran together had compelling and interesting points of view of their opinions on aesthetics. I found in Changeux's lecture his ability to illustrate aesthetics from his dissertation, Discovery Of Art Composition via different structures of the human composition. From his very effective and descriptive language and theory through Homo-Sapiens. 

Ramachandran held equally intriguing theory on aesthetics. The eight laws were key to understanding aesthetics on a flat plain but also how you cannot define aesthetics based on these 8 laws alone. Again both were equal in interest in their ideas and their ways in helping one to understand aesthetics.

4. How do the videos and article relate to the readings in the text?
The videos and the articles relate to the readings in the text since they for the most part talk about the same topics but in different formats both bring up the same topics like art, beauty, aesthetics ect. but in text vs a video format. The article does the same by speaking about the topics but in a different way allowing for a more indepth understanding of the topics.

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?
They add depth and more meaning by as I said above presenting the topics via different formats and in different ways. Using other points of view of the same topics which always gives a better understanding of them. In my learning I always use multiple sources to learn a topic I find it to be the most effective way to learn and understand a topic.