Science and art may seem like different activities on the surface, but they both start with intuitive inspiration and a desire to explore, and where they overlap is where new discoveries and creations are made. They are essentially indistinguishable and find a common driving force in the emotion of awe and wonder at nature.
People are easily moved by a good painting or a piece of music, but when it comes to scientific theories, they find them very difficult because of their complex logic and rigid language. It is often assumed that scientists strive to discover objective truths through logical analysis and experimentation, while artists rely on intuitive inspiration to pursue subjective aesthetic values. While this myth isn’t entirely inaccurate, in retrospect, many scientific discoveries could not have been made without intuitive inspiration.
Albert Einstein overturned the immutability of time and space, which was considered an absolute truth by everyone, and showed that time and space can change through his theory of relativity. This shift in thinking, which broke the mold of stereotypical thinking, came from intuitive inspiration, which shows how intuitive inspiration plays a huge role in scientific discovery. Isaac Newton discovered universal gravitation from a falling apple; Galileo Galilei discovered the principle of the pendulum when he saw a lamp swinging from the ceiling while praying in the cathedral in Pisa; and Archimedes discovered the principle of measuring the volume of objects in the bathhouse and ran home shouting “Eureka!” The saying that scientific discoveries are “1% inspiration and 99% hard work” underestimates the role of intuitive inspiration.
So where does this inspiration come from? People generally believe that scientists make new discoveries through logical analysis and reasoning. But in reality, the discoveries are often based on intuitive inspiration, which often comes from a place beyond language. Most great scientists, like artists, confess that in the crucial moments of discovery, they are guided not by logic, but by an ineffable aesthetic sense that rises from the depths of consciousness. Scientific discovery is the logical analysis and systematization of these inspirations into words.
Painters, sculptors, and architects sometimes analyze and dissect objects in order to create perfect harmony and balance. The golden ratio of the Greeks was a meticulous analysis of the mathematical laws of proportion to achieve maximum aesthetic effect. Beautiful music is also based on the precisely calculated arrangement and resonance of sounds. The analytical eye of artists is evident in Paul Cézanne’s statement that “all the shapes in nature are composed of spheres, cylinders, and cones.” Poets who envisioned concentric waves spreading out from the ringing of a bell can be seen to have melded scientific knowledge of sound with poetic imagination. Similarly, scientists rely on intuitive inspiration to build theories, while artists incorporate scientific knowledge and perspectives to create art.
Both of these creative endeavors are driven by the human instinct to explore. The desire to explore is what drives scientists and artists into the unknown, stimulating new imaginations. Of course, the goal of science is to understand the laws of nature and unravel its mysteries, but the motivation is the same as in art: awe and wonder at nature. Albert Einstein once said that a person who cannot feel wonder at the mysteries of the universe, who cannot be moved by them, who cannot meditate on them, is as good as dead. From this point of view, science and art are not inherently distinct mental activities. At a certain point, science and art overlap and become indistinguishable, just as the colors of a rainbow overlap and blend into one another.
