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Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

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  • Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

    Here is Richard Feynman on the subject:

    Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.


  • #2
    Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

    Yes, and no...

    So, I think science, in the short-term does reduce the appreciation of beauty. To understand something, you often have to deconstruct it. Sometimes, you have to deconstruct it over and over and over and over and over and over, until you've destroyed it. But.

    In the long run...that knowledge deepens how we define beauty and adds infinite dimensions to how we see it.
    “You have never answered but you did not need to. If I stand at the ocean I can hear you with your thousand voices. Sometimes you shout, hilarious laughter that taunts all questions. Other nights you are silent as death, a mirror in which the stars show themselves. Then I think you want to tell me something, but you never do. Of course I know I have written letters to no-one. But what if I find a trident tomorrow?" ~~Letters to Poseidon, Cees Nooteboom

    “We still carry this primal relationship to the Earth within our consciousness, even if we have long forgotten it. It is a primal recognition of the wonder, beauty, and divine nature of the Earth. It is a felt reverence for all that exists. Once we bring this foundational quality into our consciousness, we will be able to respond to our present man-made crisis from a place of balance, in which our actions will be grounded in an attitude of respect for all of life. This is the nature of real sustainability.”
    ~~Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

    "We are the offspring of history, and must establish our own paths in this most diverse and interesting of conceivable universes--one indifferent to our suffering, and therefore offering us maximal freedom to thrive, or to fail, in our own chosen way."
    ~~Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

    "Humans are not rational creatures. Now, logic and rationality are very helpful tools, but there’s also a place for embracing our subjectivity and thinking symbolically. Sometimes what our so-called higher thinking can’t or won’t see, our older, more primitive intuition will." John Beckett

    Pagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
    sigpic

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    • #3
      Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

      I'm of the opinion that the "deconstruction" is actually a re-focusing on specific details - an aesthetic shift from the total to the partial - rather than a temporary loss in aesthetic appreciation.

      But I do agree that knowledge and understanding do, in the long run, create an added dimension of aesthetics that is not available to those who avoid knowledge and understanding.

      For myself, I am not sure if a love of science made me a better artist, or if my love of art created a love of science. You look at a leaf, you draw it over and over and over, and then you see all those things that make a leaf a leaf.

      And you begin to wonder... what are those precisely spaced little hairs there for?
      Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

        Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
        I'm of the opinion that the "deconstruction" is actually a re-focusing on specific details - an aesthetic shift from the total to the partial - rather than a temporary loss in aesthetic appreciation.
        I guess I'm thinking that while there is a beauty in that re-focusing (one probably only appreciated by the nerdy or obsessed), that its really not an aesthetic appreciation.
        “You have never answered but you did not need to. If I stand at the ocean I can hear you with your thousand voices. Sometimes you shout, hilarious laughter that taunts all questions. Other nights you are silent as death, a mirror in which the stars show themselves. Then I think you want to tell me something, but you never do. Of course I know I have written letters to no-one. But what if I find a trident tomorrow?" ~~Letters to Poseidon, Cees Nooteboom

        “We still carry this primal relationship to the Earth within our consciousness, even if we have long forgotten it. It is a primal recognition of the wonder, beauty, and divine nature of the Earth. It is a felt reverence for all that exists. Once we bring this foundational quality into our consciousness, we will be able to respond to our present man-made crisis from a place of balance, in which our actions will be grounded in an attitude of respect for all of life. This is the nature of real sustainability.”
        ~~Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

        "We are the offspring of history, and must establish our own paths in this most diverse and interesting of conceivable universes--one indifferent to our suffering, and therefore offering us maximal freedom to thrive, or to fail, in our own chosen way."
        ~~Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History

        "Humans are not rational creatures. Now, logic and rationality are very helpful tools, but there’s also a place for embracing our subjectivity and thinking symbolically. Sometimes what our so-called higher thinking can’t or won’t see, our older, more primitive intuition will." John Beckett

        Pagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
        sigpic

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

          Originally posted by thalassa View Post
          I guess I'm thinking that while there is a beauty in that re-focusing (one probably only appreciated by the nerdy or obsessed), that its really not an aesthetic appreciation.
          We prolly have slight differences in our concept of aesthetics

          Or maybe I have a strange approach because of my various interests.
          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

            Have no idea,but I know beauty when I feel it...
            MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

            all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
            NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
            don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




            sigpic

            my new page here,let me know what you think.


            nothing but the shadow of what was

            witchvox
            http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

              Originally posted by anunitu View Post
              Have no idea,but I know beauty when I feel it...
              Judging from the position of your hand, that's not beauty you're feeling...
              Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                You sir are possessed of a dirty mind,not to mention bad comedic timing...
                MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                sigpic

                my new page here,let me know what you think.


                nothing but the shadow of what was

                witchvox
                http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                  Originally posted by anunitu View Post
                  You sir are possessed of a dirty mind,not to mention bad comedic timing...
                  I am at a total loss to understand where that is coming from. I thought you were petting an ugly dog...

                  Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                    Baddda BOOM,badda Bing...rim shot!!!!!!
                    MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

                    all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
                    NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
                    don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




                    sigpic

                    my new page here,let me know what you think.


                    nothing but the shadow of what was

                    witchvox
                    http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                      I think things become even more beautiful when you understand what they are and what they do, because then you won't only see the surface, but the deeper layers of it as well. Without science, we wouldn't see the beauty that goes on underneath that surface.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                        ^^^^ so true!
                        The Dragon sees infinity and those it touches are forced to feel the reality of it.
                        I am his student and his partner. He is my guide and an ominous friend.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                          Originally posted by Thrudr View Post
                          I think things become even more beautiful when you understand what they are and what they do, because then you won't only see the surface, but the deeper layers of it as well. Without science, we wouldn't see the beauty that goes on underneath that surface.
                          Absolutely. I love watching waves, and some years ago I came across a mathematical equation that described the motion of a wave....it definitely enriched my appreciation, understanding better the physics of how the water moved.
                          Once a man, like the sea I raged;
                          Once a woman, like the earth I gave;
                          And there is in fact more earth than sea.
                          Genesis lyric

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                          • #14
                            Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                            Arts and Crafts

                            When the scope of impact is proportional to the simplicity of the design: elegance.
                            Therein lies the essence of craft. But art, the essence of art is born of vague intuitions
                            and deep yearnings. Often triggered by some subtle incongruity too nuanced to articulate,
                            some facade so common and well-worn that it covers over the truth like a warm
                            and comforting blanket.

                            The artist though, uniquely sees what is so readily overlooked, suspects a truth lie hidden
                            beneath and labors to reveal it. Even when peeling back that old blanket leaves one exposed,
                            feeling cold and naked,
                            the truth is served and it is beautiful.

                            Designing elegant experiments is the craft of science.
                            Revealing truth is the work of artists, whatever the medium.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Does science reduce appreciation of beauty?

                              Of course, many artists primarily seek to 'reveal' lies. Propaganda posters have to be drawn by someone, alongside certain political cartoons... But in any case, science is an art in and of itself, and science is beautiful, so the only way it could reduce appreciation of beauty is through an overabundance of it

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