“Science is the unlocking of things we haven’t yet imagined. Art is the imagining of things yet to be unlocked.”
What the hell does that mean? I’m talking about that quote right up there. I mean, really. Perhaps most of us can more easily ingest things as opposites, but when it comes to art and science, we seem to insufferably separate them. I mean, if I had a nickel for every time I heard someone describe something using the difference between the two… let’s just say I’d have a lot of damn nickels.
And while it certainly sounds good, is it trope or truth? And are art and science really that different from each other?
To me, science as something we know, and art is something we feel. Science is the teacher that lets you use your formula sheet to help you out during the test. Art, on the other hand, is the teacher that opens the blinds and turns on mood music to help you think more clearly during that same test. Both of them are vessels to idea generation, and that’s where their bond sprouts from.
So, part instruction, part inspiration, what is the true nature of their relationship?
I believe it starts and ends with the idea itself, and the infinite ways we can go about arriving at them. Somewhere between the “imagining” and the “unlocking” mentioned in that quote above, the concept of an idea sits in the middle, driving us in circles until we get it right — whatever the “it” is.
And how do we know it’s right? Well, you’ll always need both art and science to answer that.
Duality exists to show us not how different things can be, but how much alike they are. Deducing vs. inducing, dusk vs. dawn, routine vs. process…. Art vs. Science. It’s funny how closely related opposites can be.
The Cowboys have both a defense and an offense, playing on opposite sides of the ball, but they’re still the same team, aren’t they? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Same person, bro. Hell, Einstein wrote poetry!
Even those who’ve mastered Dance, one of the world’s most prevalent and longstanding art forms, are still masters at the precise counting of notes and beats. Rhythm itself has a formulaic DNA, because at the end of the day, you’ve gotta be able to count to eight if you wanna groove.
So, in our relentless pursuit of ideas, between all of this “imagining” and “unlocking”, the biggest takeaway on the relationship between art and science is that they are, in fact, in a relationship. And a happy one, might I add.
It’s never truly black and white, you know? And in this world full of “grey”, I’d encourage the fearless implementation of both art and science…. at the same damn time! Don’t be afraid to use colors when formulas won’t do, or to incorporate a little ‘rithmetic with your reading and ‘riting.
After all, Dead Prez said it best: we’re just people with ideas. How bad do you want it?
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