Can you extend this argument to the sort of social messages conveyed in Disney movies, in anything more than a trivial way (“Humans make disney movies, so disney movies come from genetics”)?
Hmm … I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for here in terms of “social messages”.
Disney movies contain characters having interpersonal cooperation and conflict — which are pretty damn universal in human societies, and we probably have some adaptations for them, at least some of which we accurately observe. Disney movies contain characters using facial expressions of emotion (e.g. wide-eyed interest or attraction; crying to express sadness or upset); etc.
So — Messages such as “cooperation lets you accomplish more than you could accomplish alone [and we have adaptations to enable us to do this]” or “humans are moved [instinctively] by other humans’ expressions of emotion” … sure.
However, if you’re going for things like “Snow White conveys ideals of female submission and purity,” … no.
Snow White conveys ideals of female submission and purity.
You think there’s no message in the different moral judgment we are expected to have for Snow White vs. the Wicked Queen? Something about vanity, plus it doesn’t hurt to notice that the morally upright woman is also better looking.
Can you extend this argument to the sort of social messages conveyed in Disney movies, in anything more than a trivial way (“Humans make disney movies, so disney movies come from genetics”)?
Hmm … I’m not sure exactly what you’re looking for here in terms of “social messages”.
Disney movies contain characters having interpersonal cooperation and conflict — which are pretty damn universal in human societies, and we probably have some adaptations for them, at least some of which we accurately observe. Disney movies contain characters using facial expressions of emotion (e.g. wide-eyed interest or attraction; crying to express sadness or upset); etc.
So — Messages such as “cooperation lets you accomplish more than you could accomplish alone [and we have adaptations to enable us to do this]” or “humans are moved [instinctively] by other humans’ expressions of emotion” … sure.
However, if you’re going for things like “Snow White conveys ideals of female submission and purity,” … no.
You think there’s no message in the different moral judgment we are expected to have for Snow White vs. the Wicked Queen? Something about vanity, plus it doesn’t hurt to notice that the morally upright woman is also better looking.
By hypothesis, the Wicked Queen is the second most beautiful woman in the land. This seems to weaken that point.
Oh, of course there is a social message there. I think eridu was asking whether I thought it was genetically determined.
Yes, that is exactly the sort of message that I care about.