Art vs. science
I thought it might be a nice idea to add more philosophical comments to my blog, because attempts at political commentary failed, as you may have noticed. I would therefore like to have a go at discussing art and science: which is more worthwhile? Note that art is first only due to the alphabet.
I am of the opinion that logic is in everything around us and that chaos describes a situation that we haven’t fully understood yet. Even if we know precisely why something appears to be moving chaotically, all it means is that certain forces have been applied in certain ways or whatever may have caused it. For example, take flipping a coin: it is not random, as many forces act on the coin, choosing the outcome. This had led a friend of mine to the conclusion that probability is an illusion and statistics is a waste of time because you apparently cannot accurately define probability – the 50% probability for that coin, for example, is an impossibility.
Many people argue that the renaissance man or polymath concept is the best way to intellectually proceed and develop oneself, and this involves an acceptance of a form of art on top of other things. I have no objection to this, but what I do contend with is the notion that art somehow encompasses both, with is the opposite of my logic theory. Philosophy, on the other hand, is supposed to encompass both of these and on this note I fall down because I am interested in this.
So, should I develop an interest in art (other than the little I have right now) in order to better myself, or is there no reason to?
I agree that logic and rationality should be the way one conscientiously (feel free to correct my spelling/grammar errors!) makes descisions. However, to develop oneself I think that creative thinking is also neccessary, take lateral problem solving; without any creativity it would be very hard to think of an answer to a problem which requires creative thinking. Creative thinking is a vital tool that humans can employ it alows us to think of abstract concepts and ideas and apply them to every day life. I think that ‘the arts’ can help increase creative thinking and therefore develop ‘the self’, on the other hand there may be other ways in which to develop creative thought. As a last point, even though you will disagree with it, you can have fun whilst trying or learning new things! From Tom Mitchell – Williams
I’d agree with most of this. In that case, what art form should I try?