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1	Neuroscience and Hindu Aesthetics: A Critical Analysis of V.S. Ramachandran’s “Science of Art” Beitmen, Logan R 01 January 2014 (has links) Neuroaesthetics is the study of the brain’s response to artistic stimuli. The neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran contends that art is primarily “caricature” or “exaggeration.” Exaggerated forms hyperactivate neurons in viewers’ brains, which in turn produce specific, “universal” responses. Ramachandran identifies a precursor for his theory in the concept of rasa (literally “juice”) from classical Hindu aesthetics, which he associates with “exaggeration.” The canonical Sanskrit texts of Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra and Abhinavagupta’s Abhinavabharati, however, do not support Ramachandran’s conclusions. They present audiences as dynamic co-creators, not passive recipients. I believe we could more accurately model the neurology of Hindu aesthetic experiences if we took indigenous rasa theory more seriously as qualitative data that could inform future research. Hinduism neuroscience aesthetics Kashmir Shaivism rasa Abhinavagupta Bharata Muni Natya Shastra Indian religion art Acting Ancient Philosophy Art Practice Asian Art and Architecture Asian Studies Cognition and Perception History of Religions of Eastern Origins Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Performance Studies Philosophy of Mind Philosophy of Science Social and Cultural Anthropology Theory and Criticism