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trevyn

Or maybe humans inherently enjoy clean, natural building materials and avocados.

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More likely that this is the fashion today, and fashion is worldwide now due to the internet and modern communication.

Fashions come and go. It is likely this one will as well. Just a matter of when.

How do you explain the diversity of cultures across history, and across different continents?

Climate and GDP per capita.

Whilst there's obviously some influence from climate on the differing clothing fashions in Australia and Greenland, do you honestly think that this is able to account for cultural preferences for, say, water colour landscape paintings versus intricate calligraphy in Japan and the Middle East, respectively?

Yes, because climate dramatically affects how nature presents itself in everyday life.

Aha.

How does climate explain changes in art the co-occur with political changes? Like when Alexander reached Asia, suddenly the sculptures there started resembling the ones they made in Greece.

Cultural separation due to lack of communication and transit.

Have you never seen Baroque & Rococo art?

Art and architecture in 17th-18th century France was about demonstrating power and wealth, not appealing to innate human preferences.

Right, a $6000 Eames lounge chair just appeals to "innate human preferences", and has nothing to do with demonstrating power and wealth.

Demonstrations of wealth change. When starving was not an unusual end to human life, rulers were overweight and obese. When being overweight is a sign of bad nutrition, the wealthy are fit and active.

Grand displays of wealth through luxurious materials nowadays are seen as egotistical, self-aggrandizing, and antiquated. Whereas modern design is a display of the good taste and international character of someone who appreciates sleek elements yet has enough money to buy spaces that are largely empty.

As far as I can tell the Eames' were all about innate human preferences, warmth and affordability. Too bad they're dead and Vitra or Herman Miller or whoever owns the licensing rights is capitalizing on their work in a borderline extortionate manner.

Granted

Or the interiors of ordinary people's houses in places like Morocco? Or the cafe down the road where I get 'Indian breakfast' for £3? (Channa/naan and tea made with spices).

That would also explain the Deadpool phenomenon.

This is what STEM majors actually believe

Are we not human? Do we not know ourselves?

> Are we not human? Do we not know ourselves?

These are aren't mutually exclusive.

But suffice it to say people just happen to have similar opinions about fashion, religion, ideologies, etc. as what is needed to fit in and global media has accelerated the process. The fact that people like stuff isn't in question, but we're amazingly good copy machines for reasons that helped us become the dominant species on the planet.

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