Our perception of beauty has evolved to enable us to become subconsciously aware of things and people in our environment that are likely to offer us some kind of survival or reproductive advantage (or, at least offered these things to our ancestors). Facial symmetry and child-bearing hips indicate a well-developed immune system and a low probability of reproductive complications, while a smiling, confident disposition might indicate someone who is both easy to get along with and has satisfactory access to resources and a valuable network of friends. Yet an attractive man, or woman, can elicit a strong emotional response in less than a second.
Another form of beauty is natural beauty. Lush landscapes filled with pristine water sources and abundant food also tend to uplift the soul. In a similar manner to the way we might suddenly respond to a beautiful person, we respond to such idyllic scenes in a visceral, emotional level without requiring precise measurements of crop yields and the like. This was eluded to in the previous section.
Finally there is social beauty. The art produced by a community indicates its values. The built environment can indicate cooperation or conflict, a rigidity or freedom, knowledge and skill or the lack thereof, levels of hygiene and the corresponding risk of infection, the art displayed can indicate sexual mores.
The precise type of social environment which is considered beautiful will depend on the particular values of the beholder and the extent to which the values of the visual landscape “gel” with their disposition, either through expressing some quality the beholder possesses or perhaps through expressing some quality the beholder lacks yet yearns for.
Nevertheless, we can make certain general assumptions about the type of visual environment which expresses generally desirable qualities:
Tolerably clean
Indicates the danger of infection is low. Although excessive, sparkling cleanliness can indicate an authoritarian culture.
Utilities Well-Maintained
(Including food production systems)
Indicates the community has their priorities straight and can effectively provide for their needs.
No Signs of Serious Conflict
This is an extension of the broken window effect. Signs of violent conflict and vandalism indicate these things are acceptable and thus encourage further vandalism. Things that are broken should be mended. Indicators of conflict, violence and danger are a serious threat to survival which, if present in a neighbourhood, can significantly depreciate house prices.
Maximum Creativity
Human beings both yearn to express themselves and also to cooperate with others. We want to live in communities where, from time to time, we can count on others to collaborate enthusiastically in our projects, and show gratitude when we collaborate with theirs. A community with a mix of artworks that are both individual creations and collaborative works will indicate a community that can come together and cooperate harmoniously, while leaving room for individual self-expression and liberty. Artistic works created by multiple artists that are simultaneously coherrent while quirkily displaying the creativity of each individual artist exhibit a particular kind of social beauty through indicating a healthy combination of cooperation and individual freedom.
This gives the community an organic feel.
A planned environment indicates a community which is orderly, to be sure, but where there is no room whatsoever for individual self-expression. Too much planning can reduce an environment’s social beauty – as can too little.
In addition to this, creativity indicates a productive surplus. That the community in question is not struggling to subsist.
Good Balance Between Coherence and Dissonance
…in the visual landscape (art, decorations, architecture, etc.)
Coherrence indicates the community members see eye to eye and get along together. Dissonance indicates their ability to self-express and that occassional dissent from the group is tolerated and not ruthlessly stamped out.
Displays of Skill
Displays of skill artistically, mechanically and horticulturally indicate there is much knowledge, wisdom and insight to be learnt by the wanderer visiting the community
Social Arenas
Humans are social creatures and arenas for social activities which create a context and opportunity to engage with new people increase a community’s social beauty
Authenticity
Deception is widespread in nature. A chameleon can look like a branch, a praying mantis can look like a flower, the illicium of an angler fish can look like a worm. The flukes of parasites can often infect the brain of an intermediate species and modify their behaviour to increase their likelihood of getting eaten by a predator.
For all these reasons, we have developed minds that are highly sensitive to the uncanny. Any time something seems “a bit off” or “not quite as it seems” we are repulsed and suspect a trap. For this reason, Social Beauty must be produced through a community that possesses authentic social health as oppose to a community that carefully attempts to mimic social health. A certain roughness around the edges, a little imperfection, a degree of honesty among the members about their shortcomings and the shortcomings of the community, all these things can enhance the social beauty of the community.
How to Promote Social Beauty
It is not the intention of Socibuild to rigorously coordinate the visual markers of the communities we establish. That would be both extremely labour intensive as also self-defeating as it would give our communities an uncanny feel which would be counter-productive and lack authenticity.
Rather, we intend to cultivate social health within our communities along with a vibrantly expressive culture and then trust that, by fostering social health and a positive, expressive culture, the members of our communities will then proceed to act on their environment in such a manner so as to produce social beauty organically in their own unique way.