Art and Science: Analogy and Anachronism in Modern Thinking

Research into certain aspects of the relationship between art and science underscores that analogy is a form of knowledge present in both fields.

On one hand, the concept of "analogy" is challenged both by authors such as Leibniz, Foucault, Diderot and Goethe and by the demonstration of its limits by positivist philosophy and structuralism. On the other hand, some theorists consider the detection of coincidences between artistic and scientific objects to entail conceptual problems. These result from similarities between artistic and scientific forms (Fig. 1), the universal nature of the aesthetic experience of art and the use of generative image systems such as fractals.

Research shows some examples of firm parallels and convergences between artistic movements and scientific theories. The importance of the relationship between art and science is verified in processes related to human knowledge and history. Issues such as the question of confluence or influence within both fields and the choice between realist and relativist knowledge theories are obstacles to establishing any conclusions. Nevertheless, such examples as cultural uniformity, ethnographic parallels, the universality of symbols and the simultaneous discoveries of scientific theories seem to confirm the unity of knowledge and the importance of interdisciplinary study.

The general conclusion of my thesis dissertation on this subject, "Art and Science: Analogy and Anachronism in Modern Thinking" (Arte y Ciencia. Analogia y Anacronismo desde el pensamiento actual) [1], reads as follows:

Fig. 1.

Similarities between artistic and scientific forms: top, ADN, computer-generated image; bottom, a stained-glass window at Notre Dame in Paris, France.

© Consuelo Vallejo Delgado

We propose not to separate objectivity and subjectivity, reason and intuition into the respective realms of art and science. On the whole, we consider that it is necessary to eliminate the false hierarchy between disciplines and opt for interdisciplinarity. Analogy is the system of relations that describes knowledge, the principle and method that makes unity and diversity possible, and the continuation of human expression through the forms of art and science.