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The first four entries in Chapter Six of NextText touch upon intersections between the arts and sciences, between biology and history, between poetics and genetics. What do you see as the relationship between art and science? Illustrate your ideas using examples from the readings (pages 520-541).
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While technically existing as two separate fields, art and science have much that can be offered to one another. One way in which the two can influence each other is in terms of perception. “A Tale of Two Loves” by Alan Lightman explains that each discipline can provide base material for the other to expand from. Science can provide the new ideas that fuel art and stimulate the artists’ imaginations. In return, art can bestow science with the creativity and imagination that all inspiration originates from. So intertwined are the two subjects that some may even instinctively associate them in the mind’s eye. Johannes Borgstein describes the genetic code as “a language with almost limitless possibilities of expression” in “The Poetry of Genetics.” This statement may be seen as nothing more than a colorful use of metaphor; however, it emphasizes the closeness art and science share in the mental workings of the author. The synthesis of art and science is actually so complete to some that one can be used to make important statements about the other. “Genetic Engineering Hits a Snag” by Roz Chast and “The Official Cloning Act” by Tom Tomorrow each use simple, cartoon images that are quickly appealing to the eye of the consumer. However, each comic uses humor to provide an opinion on a major scientific development (the morality of genetic engineering). The cartoons may be seen as lowbrow entertainment, but they do embody the same basic idea. Science and art have, in more ways than one, become interwoven into a major inspirational source and a tool for communication.
Art is creative and science is concrete. The relationship between art and science is using science to define art. Since art is creative it may consist of many meanings, and by using science it becomes easier to narrow down the meanings and show its true significance.
In the article “A Tale of Two Lovers,” Alan Lightman displays the connection between art and science. According to Lightman, there are questions with answers and questions without. Science has questions with answers and art has questions without answers. No matter how complex a science problem is, a scientist may eventually find an answer after attempting to find an answer. Art is creative and does not necessarily always have answers. Artists may produce art that has great significance to them but no one else understands the meaning. Lightman states that science has much to offer the arts, he says, “The most important gift the sciences and the arts have to offer each other is a recognition of synthesis of their different approaches to thinking” (525). Science consists of new ideas and information and artists use new ideas to create their work.
Johannes Borgstein in “The Poetry of Genetics” discusses the connection between poetics and genetics. He compares two verses of a poem to a DNA sequence by connecting all the words together in the poem. Borgstein views the expression of the genetic code as a language with limitless expression. Literary works may be read in different layers just like a DNA sequence may mean different things at different phases.
At first glance, it may seem that there’s nothing in common between science and art. That science is more similar to mathematics. However, if we take a closer look we can identify some aspects that put science and art on the same page. According to the article A Tale of Two Loves written by Alan Lightman, “science works on questions with answers, while art works on questions that may not have answers at all.” More than that, science is concentrated on getting the right answer, while art enjoys the process of looking for answers. The way a rational person has to deal with the irrational world has a lot to do with art. “Science has always been a source of new ideas, and artists thrive on ideas,” says Alan Lightman. I agree with the author and I’d like to add that art and science always strive towards perfection. They are both limitless in their pursuit of excellence. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a painting or a new tool that detects a tumor; there is always space for improvement. Science and art are closely related in their attention to detail. When science adopts an artistic approach to solving a problem, the fusion of the two results in a higher level of productivity.
At first it would appear that art and science are subjects that have completely nothing in common. If you think about it a bit more, and look at the characteristics of each more closely, art and science are very much a like in multiple ways. Everything is connected to each other in some way or another. Art is could be looked at in many ways. In the article "A Tale of Two Lovers," Alan Lightman explains his view of science and art. In art the question is more interesting then the answer and in science it's the other way around. But that is not always true. Even though in art some questions cannot be answered, trying to figure out the answer is just as interesting as the question itself. The same in science. What if the answer that a scientist got to their question is not as exciting as they expected it to be? I think that figuring the question out is what's so exciting in both fields. And that is what they both share, creative thinking that explores the world around them and connects them to the past, present and future. There is never a time when both field stand still in time and are satisfied with the present answer.
In the article "The Poetry of Genetics," Johannes Borgstein explores genetics and their complexity. This article opens up to the idea that art and science have much more depth to them then it really seems. All the technical terms and complex ideas in both fields reminds us that neither one is more simple nor complex, though they might be different. So you see, the two have very much in common from the creative thinking process and experimentation to complex idea and words, theres always something that connects the two.
Art and science, at first glance you might think they would never have anything in common because science is a thing of facts when art is purely creativity and expression. When you look past the obvious all the way to the roots of each of these subjects a relationship can be easily found. In “A Tale of Two Loves” by Alan Lightman the relationship between art and science starts from the foundation that each is built upon. Science provides new ideas for art and the ways it can be expressed, and to support science art provides creativity and the imagination it takes to come up with seemingly unthinkable questions or theories that might one day be proven to be factual. In “The Poetry of Genetics” the author, Johannes Borgstein, expresses the connection she sees between a DNA sequence and two verses from a poem. Here the connection between art and science would be that the DNA sequence is a “language with almost limitless possibilities of expression.” Borgstein believes that each section of the genetic code has not one meaning but an infinite number of meanings just like each verse of a poem might have several meanings or interpretations. The relationship between art and science goes from creating a foundation for each other, then to the process where questions are asked and searched for, and finally comes to the infinite ways to interpret what has been found. The commonalities of art and science can be found through a deeper way of thinking, that can comes from art, science, or both.
Normally, art and science are seen to have nothing in common, they are two completely different subjects that do not go together. But, when you take a closer look these two subjects have subtle similarities that help people further their ideas in these particular areas. For example, in “A Tale of Two Lovers” by Alan Lightman, Lightman discusses the subtle ways these two subjects complement each other. Lightman describes how science is about always making new discoveries and theories, and through these new findings art flourishes by questioning the meanings, significances or trying to answer these unanswerable questions that science puts out. Lightman also points out how art and science do go hand in hand by explaining that even Einstein thanked David Hume, a philosopher, for his notions because this helped Einstein describe his theories. Overall, art and science contribute so much and are similar to each other because of “their different ways of thinking, their different ways of being in the world.” (Lightman pg 525). Not only are the basis of art and science similar but they can also be compared to each other like Johannes Borgstein does in “The Poetry of Genetics”. Borgstein compares the human genetic sequences, like DNA, to the different verses of a poem. Borgstein also points out the similarities of art and science when he points out how like poems depending on how you read them you can get different messages from it, just as you can get different messages depending on how you read the DNA sequences.
Science and art can be defined in many different ways, art is the abstract of something that is used in many different forms. Science on the other hand is just looked as scientific structure, and chemicals used to help or discover new/old things. But if you but both science and art together they do combine in a natural way. In the article, “ A Tale Of Two Lovers, “ by Alan Lightman explains his beliefs in art and science. Art has explanations for its meaning or can be mysterious and not know what it is about but science can be the same way is trying to figure out the answer to the solution. As lightman says, “Science has always been a source of new ideas, and artists thrive on ideas.” Which is true, artist looks for new ideas t put in there piece. Both science and art have some similarities, that are limitless in the world. Johannes Borgstein wrote “The Poetry of Genetics” it explains how poetics and genetics have some connection within each other. He relates two verses of a poem to a DNA sequence by establishing the words together from the two verses. Borgstein looks at the genetic code to express limitless connection that is has. so to that said genetics and poetics can be similar in so many ways just like science and art.
Life imitates art. Science explains life and can demonstrate to human beings the mysteries of the world. Art is simply the expression of one's thoughts and actions to reveal a truth by creating a lie. In "A Tale of Two Loves" by Alan Lightman, he explains that both art and science are relative to each other in a unique way. Whereas science can prove the possibilities of our world, art defies the possibilities and creates an impossibility rendered by the human mind. The words we speak, are also an art and a science. There is both logic and emotion wrapped within every word. These subjects are so close to each other yet are distanced by their application within the real world.
Within "Humbled by the Genome's Mysteries" by Stephen Jay Gould, the article describes the complexities of human DNA and how many genomes are within our system. These (relatively) new revelations are a huge advancement to science. This decoding and advancement is such a progression of our knowledge. The artistic value of these discoveries lies within the process to understand and one another, by adequately addressing human nature through analyzation. Science and art can be connected through their application, rather than the abstractions that we divide each subject by according to our culture.
Art and science are two very different subjects. However, by taking a deeper look, they both can seem very closely related. Some subtle connections given by Alan Lightman in "A Tale of Two Loves", is that, "The arts and humanities, in turn, offer the sciences an essential store of other ideas,images, metaphors and language. Art and science relate closely because science can also be viewed as an art. Science can create a visual experience. One of the main ideas that makes these two different however is, science works with questions with answers, and art has questions but contains no answer. Art is based from the human mind to try and create a complex idea that makes those who view it uncertain. Science is stable. It gives a straight forward question with an answer ready to be given.
In, "The Poetry of Genetics" by Johannes Borgstein, DNA and literary works have a close relationship. Just as literature can be broken down and interpreted into a certain sequence, reading DNA is similar. As said by Borgstein, " The actual DNA contains a large number of intermingled messages", this is another link between science and literature.
All of the articles link together science and another subject that may at first, seem drastically different. Art is like science just as science is similar to literature.
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