To paraphrase and slightly amend a quote from orthodox rabbi Jonathon Sacks, “Science takes the world apart to see how it works and [the arts] attempt to put the world back together to see what it means.”
I can’t think of a more clever way to describe the essential differences between the two domains of knowledge. Each pursuit has a fundamental nature which comes with great benefits as well as significant limitations. They are not in conflict with one another, as many believe; they are both complimentary and absolutely necessary. A great deal of exceptional art today explores the meaning and beauty imbedded in various technological advancements. The image here is the product of a collaboration between Zaha Hadid and Neri Oxman using 3D printing technology. Our current infatuation with science, which requires one to limit one’s scope and variables, drives one toward increasing specialization. In contrast, the arts and design fields require integration, synthesis leading to broader, more diverse explorations and understandings.
As the pendulum inevitably swings, I can’t help concluding that at this moment the world needs a better grasp of meaning and purpose — what some would call wisdom. Wisdom is not just knowing something but knowing what to do with what we know — understanding how to apply knowledge to specific life situations. For example, we know how to fill the internet with pornography but don’t know how to repair a relationship. We have made countless machines and devices to destroy each other but few if any that establish peace. Science or technological innovation does not show us how and when to deploy our knowledge or inventions. Seems to me the folks pursuing the arts need to stop apologizing for not being a scientist, technologist or engineer, do a better job of embracing the art’s essential purpose, and more forcefully assert their work into our society’s discourse.