We were deeply saddened to hear yesterday that Denis Dutton, founder and editor of Arts and Letters Daily and professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury, had passed away.

We’re honoured to have had Denis speak at our Webstock Mini in September, where he gave the audience a sneak peak of this highly acclaimed TED talk entitled A Darwinian theory of beauty, which centered on how evolutionary theory can be applied to our appreciation of art. This remarkable, thought-provoking talk can be viewed below, or at the TED site:

Denis left a real impression on us here at Webstockville – he was a warm, lovely man – a true gentlemen, and an absolute pleasure to deal with. We feel very privileged to have met him, and a sense of great loss at his passing.

Our thoughts are with the Dutton family.