The Art Vs Science Debate

Creativity is considered to be a highly important factor when thinking about science, technology and society (Hodson & Ried, 1988).

When ‘science’ and ‘creativity are mentioned, many people fail to see a link between them, or how similar they are to each other. There are some who would believe that the two are complete opposites; whilst others would suggest otherwise and believe that one could not exist without the other.
          Barrow (2010) stated in the article 'Encouraging Creativity with Scientific Inquiry', today creativity is usually linked with the humanities and arts; it is rarely linked with science. Barrow (2010) states that students' ideas on science are 'shaped' by their experiences in school. In the article, he explains his thoughts on scientific investigations within school:
“Investigations are short. They just seem to be conducted so that the teacher can prove what has been studied. Usually very much like following a recipe. Students usually don’t understand why this investigation is being carried out.”

So, what is ‘Art’, and is it linked with Science?
The arts are subjective; a result of an individuals’ self expression, usually prompting us to find deeper meaning behind ideas and making us question our emotions and beliefs. Thinking of art in this way when trying to link it to science will bring up questions such as, ‘How can a student express themselves creatively when what they’re doing is so structured?’ This is often because Science is objective, and it mainly aims to solve problems and test theories.

           Stange (2010) believes the two are similar, and stated that a common characteristic between artists and scientists is their playfulness. Even though the general thought of science is to follow strict rules and methodologies, this is not the case. Einstein (1929) said imagination is key to understanding more about the world around us. He said it is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited to what we already know and understand, whereas imagination ‘encircles the world’.
       In Science lessons in school, I have never experienced creativity or imagination being used by myself or my peers. For me, science lessons simply involved following rules, step by step instructions, and going by what we were told. Therefore I never considered ‘Art’ and ‘Science’ to have a connection or any similarities at all.
     After studying this module however, and having researched many different creative approaches to learning, I can see a strong correlation between the two. Science involves a lot of exploration, an integral aspect of the Arts and Creativity. Then there are Artists, who have an excellent understanding of reflection, symmetry, textures and correlation of patterns. As Barrow (2010) stated 'art can influence science discovery and vice versa'.


References

BARROW, L. (2010) ‘Encouraging Creativity with Scientific Inquiry’, Creative Education, (June) pp.1-6.

Hodson, D and Ried, D. (1988) ‘Science for all motives, meaning and implications’. School Science Review, 69, (249) pp.653-661.

Stange, K. (2010) ‘The Solemn Frivolity of Art and Charming Frigidity of Science’, The international Journal of Arts & Sciences.