The arts and sciences are two very different areas of knowledge but it is possible to learn from both of them. Just as science is renowned for its rules and formulas the arts are known for breaking them and taking peoples concepts and beliefs to whole new levels. In this essay I will discuss if we learn more from work that follows or that breaks with accepted conventions and how each subject area does this and try to discover which gives us greater knowledge; work which breaks conventions or that which goes with it.
Science is a very exact and almost predictable subject area, for example a scientist knows that if an object is falling the force exerted in the object is its mass multiplied by gravitational pull on the earth’s surface. This is a fundamental formula in Newtonian physics. A simpler example would be that in order for a chemical reaction to occur two atoms need to exchange electrons.
This is a very simple rule, and although we have no actual physical certain proof that the structure of an atom consists of; electrons and nuclei all chemistry is based around this improvable theory and it is completely conventional. However the theory mentioned earlier concerning is being questioned showing that conventional beliefs are not always initially correct and they need to be doubted by unconventional thinkers in order to become truly correct.
For example in modern technology some of the first computers were used by the Nazis to store data on, it was never thought back then that we would use computers everyday for games, chatting to friends, work, and even relationships. With online dating beginning to change the way we can meet people conventions are still being broken more than 10 years after the breaking of conventional computer use. With the development of A. I (Artificial Intelligence) we are already breaking conventions that were set by the computer when it broke the prior conventions with its appearance.
The arts are celebrated for their unconventional approach to knowledge and their often surreal view on circumstances. A lot of the knowledge we acquire through the arts is subsequent to our moral standing and views on politics, life, death and many more factors in life. In fact you could argue that although art may at first appear trivial or even superficial it contains more information about modern (or old) feelings and opinions which affect the human mood and body most of all.
So arguably the knowledge we receive from the arts is more relevant to the average person than whether the theory concerning the layout of an atom is correct or not. For example artist Alex Grey released a collection of life sized paintings called “The Sacred Mirrors”1. These paintings help the viewer find their own divine nature through examining the mind body and spirit in detail. These paintings are incredibly abstract but have immense detail into the layout of the circulatory system, muscles and the nervous system.
