On the Similarities between Scientific Discovery and Musical Creativity: A Philosophical Analysis

The author argues that a close philosophical analysis of scientific discovery and musical creativity reveals some fundamental similarities that can be taken as the basis to relate the fields of science and music generally. Moreover, these similarities may account for the special affinity toward music that scientists often display. Contrary to some commonly held beliefs, scientific discovery possesses a subjective, nonrule-governed dimension, and musical creativity possesses an objective, rule-governed dimension. Within the framework of several themes, the author argues for the creative foundations of both science and music and constructs a model that shows clearly the similarities between the overall processes of scientific discovery and musical creativity.