In Search of Divine Reality: Science as a Source of Inspiration

Appendix 4. Science and the Humanities

Appendix 4 SCIENCE AND THE HUMANITIES It has often been said that the physical sciences and the humanities have nothing in common, but represent two different cultures which are totally disconnected. However, the rule of aesthetic principles both in the arts and the sciences shows that this view is not complete and connections exist which can be the basis for fruitful interactions and creative developments. The following concordance of dates is evidence that all cultural activities are in some way connected. In  Planck founded quantum mechanics; Freud founded psychoanalysis. In  Ford founded his Motor Company, and the Wright brothers succeeded with the first motor flight. In  Einstein published his paper on special relativity and the first show of modern art (Fauvism) was held in Paris. The birth year of Cubism was ; of abstract painting, . In  Schönberg wrote the first atonal music. Kafka’s Short Stories were published in ; James Joyce’s Dubliners, in . The same year also saw the beginning of the First World War, which, in , led to the Russian Revolution. Each of these dates marks a revolution in its respective field. Together with other seminal developments that could be listed in this context, these revolutions occurred in the fine arts, drama, music, politics, economics, science, and engineering. Within a few decades, around , Europe saw a drastic change in the general perception of reality. A matter of great importance is that all aspects of culture were involved in this process. We have to suspect that the concordance is not accidental, but that simultaneity of creation indicates similarity of content. Among the common features we find that, in the physical sciences and in the arts, the development was characterized by a certain loss of realism, a loss of perceptive models, and a break with the classical tradition. For example, before  paintings were typically realistic, related to the plane of the human senses, to visual models of reality. The same is true for classical physics in that it was based on simple visual concepts, like waves, particles, or fields. Objects studied could be experienced directly. Objective and absolute principles were applied,  1SCHÄFER_PAGES:SCHÄFER PAGES 4/29/10 11:14 AM Page 143 such as causality, determinism, objectivity of reality, all of which were thought to be fundamentally rooted in nature and allowed for a conceptually simple, mechanistic view of the world. All of a sudden a part of reality was discovered—such as the subconscious and invisible world of the elementary particles—that lies beyond the level of the human senses and could no longer be described in terms of simple visual models. In physics, abstract mathematical symbols began to be used to represent the newly discovered part of reality. At the same time, in the arts, non-perspective abstract painting became evocative (Haftmann, ), replacing reproductive painting. Another common motif in the changes that occurred around  involves the dissolution of certain characteristic constants on which conventional thinking had centered in various disciplines. In biology, the belief in the constancy of life forms was replaced by the concept of evolution. In physics, the atoms, once believed indivisible, were disintegrated. In astronomy, the immutable heavens were replaced by the evolutionary universe. In psychology, the structure of the subconscious was discovered, replacing the concept of the homogeneous soul. In painting, the vanishing point of perspective was lost in aperspective paintings, or those with multiple perspectives. In music the keynote of classical compositions was abandoned in atonal music. At the same time, there was a general loss of social constancy, and monolithic empires were destroyed that had existed for centuries. At the end of the nineteenth century, it was believed that the basic problems of physics had essentially been solved. The power of humankind seemed unlimited. There were moves in the U.S. Congress to close the federal patent office because, with the same ability for deep insight that prevails today, the representatives had determined that everything worthwhile had been invented. In contrast, the symbols of the science of our time are limitation, uncertainty, and impotence. We are not able to attain the speed of light or the absolute zero of temperature. Matter can never be at rest. Dynamic variables occur in pairs; when one is known exactly, the other one is unknowable. Spontaneous processes can occur only in systems which are not at equilibrium; that is, by definition, they are unstable. Thus, the most characteristic aspect of life, its spontaneity, is at the same time a sign of...