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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Cold blooded cuteness
Message-ID: <414@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Jul-85 15:50:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.414
Posted: Wed Jul 24 15:50:52 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 26-Jul-85 03:16:20 EDT
References: <2810@topaz.ARPA> <15880@watmath.UUCP> <304@rti-sel.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 30

> In article <15880@watmath.UUCP> jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner) writes:
> 
> >because humans find them cute.  Over millions of years of evolution,
> >cuteness proved to be an important survival trait, because
> >the meanest nastiest most successful predator of them all was
> >reluctant to kill cute animals.  Of course there are good physical
> >reasons why most mammalian young resemble human babies, but I think
> >there's a strong "selection" factor there as well.
> 
> The treasuring of cute little animals is hardly a cultural universal.
> [Various examples designed to breakup dinner table conversations followed]
> ... I suspect the 'cute' reaction is primarily
> a fairly recent Anglo-American cultural tradition, since I've never 
> seen it mentioned in any other cultural contexts. Anyone else out 
> there have any ideas about this?
>                                -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly

S.J. Gould had an essay on cartoon characters which is relevant and 
entertaining.  It's in one of his collections of essays.(Perhaps "The
Panda's Thumb"?).  His point, which strikes me as sensible, is that
we are programmed to find *human* babies cute.  In the appropriate
cultural context this can lead to people thinking most mammalian young
are "cute". (Unless there's money to be made by ripping their lungs
out. :-))
-- 

"Don't argue with a fool.      Ethan Vishniac
 Borrow his money."            {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                               Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas