Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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What is Beauty? Humans have wondered for centuries as to what beauty truly is. Why is it that often after a stroke or brain damage, That artistic ability often manifests itself or that existing abilities improve? What goes with our brains and aesthetics--it is not sex nor food! It is clear humans make aesthetic judgements of faces; Perhaps described as charming, stunning, or gorgeous. Even infants (at six months!) gaze longer at an attractive face. Innately, our brain seems to be evolutionarily organized. There may be an adaptation for better survival; Symmetry may be interpreted for better infant health and survival, An epiphenomenon which depicts a longer, better life. Faces and natural landscapes elicit these choices--types, As opposed to architecture and then human art, Which yield less response. Now contemplate games--soccer is rated as 'a beautiful game'-- The choreography and elegance of players' movements. Also consider the beauty of science--E=mc2, mathematics or chess. An infant's face lights up, having just understood some manipulation. The satisfaction of knowing beauty can adaptively accomplish usefulness. There is a satisfaction of taking something apart and then, back together. What a wonder to contemplate why protons in a nucleus Remain together and do not repel one another And to then discover the function of quarks and gluons which help do such: This results in weak forces when close together And strong forces when further apart. Even efficiency is a beautiful thing! Biological reproduction yields mutated variability, All of which is selected for survival. Beauty is not only functional, but useful-- Consider a bee's hexagonal wax cell. Why can most incomprehensible things in the world, Be at the same time comprehensible? But why? To paraphrase Keats--'Beauty is Truth and Truth is Beauty. That is all'. Frank Maurer 10 December 2023 1445 Hours.