I think Art, Science and Religion all come from the same source so they are all related. Almost nobody else agrees with me. I actually had a friend lecture me for 10 minutes about how ridiculous I was for even thinking that. Obviously, they use different methods. Duh! I know that but the search is for the same thing. "WHY", HOW, and "WHAT FOR". Don't we all want some sort of answer to those questions? Why else would we invent art, science and religion, not to mention politics. Scientist are often the most ardent in their denial of any relationship what so ever. And of course, I understand why what with the Bible Literalist wanting to include the Creation stories in science class. What are they thinking? There is science and their is faith. There is fact (science) and truth (art and religion). They use completely different languages to communicate. Logos for facts and mythos for art, etc. One explains the world the other embellishes it. Personally, I wouldn't want a world without both. They are equally valid and necessary although more often than not both sides diminish the other.
All I know is that I want answers and I search a lot of places for them. If you don't care about the essential QUESTIONS (root word QUEST!) then you live a truly unexamined life and I would love to hear from you because I have no idea what that would be like.
Something else I learned today is that the only truly monogamous creature on earth that we know of is a a tape worm that lives in the intestines of fish. It is possibly monogamous only because it is physically connected like a conjoined twin. I guess that would work. Not in humans though. We would figure out a way to get around that little problem, i am sure.
All I know is that I want answers and I search a lot of places for them. If you don't care about the essential QUESTIONS (root word QUEST!) then you live a truly unexamined life and I would love to hear from you because I have no idea what that would be like.
Something else I learned today is that the only truly monogamous creature on earth that we know of is a a tape worm that lives in the intestines of fish. It is possibly monogamous only because it is physically connected like a conjoined twin. I guess that would work. Not in humans though. We would figure out a way to get around that little problem, i am sure.
posted by Anne Coe | 6:21 AM
8 Comments:
You sister doesn't get it? Well, I will admit that art, science, and religion all come from the same source--the human mind and accumulated experience. Does that mean that they are necessarily related? I am not sure. Some pretty disgusting things can come out of the human mind--like genocide plans, etc. So, to your list of art, science, and religion, we would have to add hatred, disgust, pornography, murder. They all come out of the same source. Second, I still cannot agree that all art--sunday painters, many watercolorists, ceramists, paint-by-number people, formulaic religious painters from the middle ages painted because they were searching for truth. Isn't it possible that they painted either because they thought that they had been given the truth, by a prophet, and they wanted to show in graphic form that message, or they were told that a particular church needed a painting of that particular truth to convince the unbelievers. These are different things. If you say, well, I mean the "fine" art, then tell me what search Julian Snabel and his ilk have--make more money, try to be more shocking, try to do something new even if it violates every rule of art from the past? What is their search? Is it for truth and light? Another issue is that all humans can possibly search for what you call truth, not just artists, scientists, and pastors. It is my guess that our distant, grunting, scratching, hairy ancestors had processes of trial and error learning, which is the rudiment of science. And, as one Dutch art historian once told me, even chimps smear feces on the walls of their caves--he called it early forms of art. Is this a search for truth? What you have is a metaphor you are fond of--search. I just cannot accept that all artists search for truth. Many just follow prescribed ways of doing things. Also, this search in art can take us just as easily to the invention of mechanisms, certain themes in painting, such as those found in propaganda art, that promote racial hatred. They probably do this as easily as they can take us to solutions for avoiding such hatred. Does the artist discover those methods--how to promote hate, how to encourage selfless love--while painting, or is it the response to the painting that teaches us about the effect, the power of the painting? How do we know when we discover truth unless we have a process for evaluating our findings? Is feeling good the evaluation?
I think your sister's issue might be that she is looking at every word you use when you make a statement. At least that is what I have learned after 36 years.
If it is Richard Alexander who was the source of the quote, they (he ans your sis) are pretty much alike in their thinking... at least that is what I see.
- Your sisters' daughter
Science should be about looking at every word. But then I got her to agree that not ALL artists are seekers after the truth. That was an accomplishment. I also got her to recognize that she insulted me, big time.
If intent is nine tenths of the law, then I don't think she meant to insult you.
It is about that discussion that was at PC oh so long ago... both sides differed in the point of view but in the end, I think that you can't ask an artist brain to be a scientist and you can't ask a scientist brain to be an artist...
but both can't be wrong.
and I think in this case, if you tweak the perpective, both are right.
Thank you Blair for your voice of reason and reconciliation. I agree. I didn't mean to insult your mother. Somethings are so clear to me but then I am looking at another at live in a totally different way from a lot of people apparently. If I looked at every word I would go mad.
Hildagard von Bingem, a medieval nun and scribe was an artist by my definition in that she was searching for God. She to me personifies what I am talking about. Of course not all art searches for the "Truth" but then not all art, is Art. Not all scientist search for truth either, so are just bureaucrats and some religious leaders are corrupt and amoral. That to me is beside the point. I am not trying to prove all things are all things all the time. In fact, I am not trying to prove anything. Proof in not my method.
The point is not to be upset, the point is that when you say art is about seeking truth, that MEANS all art. If you want me to agree with you, say some art, some religious figures.... It is simple overstatement that always bothers me.
Just ot let you guys know that I am not even getting involved in this one!!!!
from the daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt and wife of the brother.
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