The Artist and the Scientist

[financeguy]

Quotes from Bono:-

"Part of what we do, part of what any artist does, is illusion: you suggest rather than spell out." p. 296, John Waters' book

"...Now if my own beliefs were based purely on that, that would be nothing. But mine are based on feelings, senses, instinct, music. I'm a musician. And music is all about faith. You step from one note to the other, believing it will be there when you put your foot down. You're walking on water - all the time. And faith is about that. I don't have it all figured or anything, but I know there's something more than this. And I feel more than I know". -

P 156, John Waters' book

It seems to me that creative artists follow different thought processes to scientists.

The scientist:- logic, rationality, reasoning from cause to effect are paramount.

The artist: - rationality and logic are less important, may even inhibit creativity. Instead, less structured, sometimes even chaotic processes are followed.

Or in simple terms, the old "left brain vs right brain" dichotomy.

Any thoughts, or am I talking tripe again?

 

[deep]

yeah



but i like both

 

[A_Wanderer]

Give me science over art anyday.

 

[indra]

Give me science over art anyday.

It depends on what you are looking for.

I don't want my doctor, or the engineers who designed the airplane I'm going to be flying in to be artists. But I do want an artist to make the music I listen to, the paintings on my walls, and to write the books I read (unless they are textbooks or the like). There certainly is room in my life for both.

 

[financeguy]

Is art a luxury or a necessity?

 

[indra]

Is art a luxury or a necessity?

Well, I try to persuade everyone it's a necessity, but perhaps that's cause I'm an artist....

 

[Lancemc]

Art is completely a necessity. It opens the mind. Without art there is no science.

 

[financeguy]

I agree, and applaud your insight!

 

[A_Wanderer]

Of course you can have science without art, the possibilities an inquisitive mind are boundless.

 

[Macfistowannabe]

Give me science over art anyday.

If I had to get rid of Einstein or Bono, I'd get rid of Einstein. I know, I lack appreciation for E=mc2.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Science was never my strong subject in school. Art was one of my better ones. Therefore, I personally prefer art. But I do believe that both things are equally important in life.

Angela

 

[indra]

Of course you can have science without art, the possibilities an inquisitive mind are boundless.

I think you might equate artist with fool and good artists are far from fools (although so called artists who trade in dreck may well be). The vast majority of artists I know have incredibly inquisitive minds. Still not sure if I'd want them doing brain surgery or aircraft engine design, but for intelligent discussion on a vast number of subjects, many are brilliant.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Quite the contrary, there are many brilliant artists throughout history ~ they create pieces of fancy for our humanity. I am simply saying that science and art can be mutually exclusive ~ you do not need one for the other.

Science reveals what is already there, the scientist wields the torch of knowledge and inquiring mind to find the facts.

I do not think that the theory of general relativity is art nor do I consider a symphony to be science.

 

[deep]

perhaps you should look into Leonardo da Vinci

nor do I consider a symphony to be science.

is math a science?

 

[A_Wanderer]

Operative word was can be, like most things there is no clear boundry between the two. This was in relation to the statement that without art science wouldn't exist ~ I think that both art and science can exist independently of eachother and are not dependent on eachother.

 

[indra]

I'm actually not sure art can exist, or at least exist well, without science. Think about the "tools" the artist uses...most of those wouldn't be without science, of at least a basic sort. Painters are constantly working for pigments which won't fade and surfaces which won't rot, the guitars, pianos, etc., musicians use have to be capable of consistantly producing certain sounds. This is kind of a blending of the science and the art. We are getting to to point that the art and the science are becoming further and further apart, but many early scientists were also artists (who else would ask the necessary questions?), and vice versa.

Not sure I'm making much sense...it's late.

 

[Anthony]

Didn't Einstein once say that "Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge tells what was whereas imagination tells what will be,"?

Ant.

 

[verte76]

Well, obviously I'm pretty damn biased on this because I'm an artist. The fact of the matter is that we need both art and science. We need art to keep up in touch with our emotions and for some of us it's part of our spiritual lives (this is true of a fair number of Catholic religious, heck, one of the world's best art historians, Sister Wendy Becket, is a nun). We need science to do research on disease, to treat the sick, without science we'll never have a cure for AIDS or cancer or any of these horrible diseases.

 

[speedracer]

If I had to get rid of Einstein or Bono, I'd get rid of Einstein. I know, I lack appreciation for E=mc2.

If you got rid of Einstein, the transistors in the computer you're using would cease to exist.

 

[DrTeeth]

I refuse to choose between the two.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

The world would be so dull w/ out art

But as far as I know art has never saved any lives, so just on that basis I'd say science

 

[BVS]

The world would be so dull w/ out art

But as far as I know art has never saved any lives, so just on that basis I'd say science

I disagree. Art has saved many lives. There's documented stories of individuals that were born severely handicapped and had no means of communication and then one day they discovered art and found ways to communicate through drawing or painting.

There have been suicidal individuals that have turned their lives around due to a song, movie, or a book.

It may not be measurable like science but it's there.

I for one owe my life to art.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

That's so true, I didn't think of that

 

[nbcrusader]

I disagree. Art has saved many lives. There's documented stories of individuals that were born severely handicapped and had no means of communication and then one day they discovered art and found ways to communicate through drawing or painting.

There have been suicidal individuals that have turned their lives around due to a song, movie, or a book.

It may not be measurable like science but it's there.

I for one owe my life to art.

I agree with BVS on this. The ability to express ones self through art is an important intangible that is often under estimated.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I refuse to choose between the two.

I'm glad someone said this. I dont understand the world you and those like you - other scientists - live in, but I see it. Scientists might not understand the world artists live in, but you see it.

We all share it. Corny, no?

 

[speedracer]

Didn't Einstein once say that "Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge tells what was whereas imagination tells what will be,"?

Einstein said a lot of things:

"Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics; I can assure you that mine are still greater."

"Only two things are infinite -- the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

 

[verte76]

Einstein said a lot of things:
"Only two things are infinite -- the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

Unfortunately, this is very true.

 

[wizard2c]

Reply

Hi!

Artists.....like wizards......have a tendency to view from a worldly perspective rather than just a small perimeter of space and time.

carol
wizard2c

 

[saltines17]

I would argue that the best scientists are artists in their own right. I would also argue that the worst artists are philosophy majors.



I'm hungry. Someone feed me?

 

[Angela Harlem]

All artists are pot smoking hippies who are a drain on our welfare state. We should drown them at birth.