Abstract

Developments in neuroscience over the last few decades have shown an increasing interest in examining art and culture as a means of acquiring a greater understanding of the human brain. By the same token, our knowledge of the brain can be tremendously helpful in the study of cultural output, not only in terms of how culture works in a biological sense but why it remains so indispensable and integral to the well-being of individuals and societies. In Self Comes to Mind, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio describes the development of culture as a form of homeostasis that regulates our social environments and engages the very same neurological mechanisms that manage our internal bodily environments. These mechanisms are...