Science or Art, which best describes the human condition?

eyeslice

I ask this question because, as a young man I would have said science is the only and best way to describe who and what we are. When you think about it, the WTB&TS fits into the ‘science’ camp, having a dogmatic; everything can be explained type attitude.
Now I am older am less sure. It seems to me that art, literature, music, etc. are much better at explaining what makes us tick. I have read some fabulous pieces of literature lately that make me feel good to be alive and gives me a better sense of who I am.
What do you think?

SixofNine

I think this piece of art describes what it is to be human better than anything I've ever seen:

prophecor

Hi Eyeslice. I was recently thinking along similar lines a few days ago. My lean was towards the Arts, that of music and the way it can minister to our different needs, as opposed to the the way the scriptures reflect our lives.

I do feel that the Arts have a way of solidifying certain truths about the commonality of man. I was listening to "Tears for Fears". The song was " Woman in Chains ". It speaks about the desperate situation women often find themselves in as it pertains to their relations with men. It so aptly described some of the harsher realities of life and as I listened, I thought, " How truthful are those words. They speak directly to the heart. "

Then there is the Artistry that belongs to God. Painting the sunset at dusk, the rhythmic dancing of the ocean, the sound of the waves on the shore. Snowstorms, thunderstorms, lightning and hail.

Ooooops. I'm sorry, that's all about science, isn't it?

Ohhh Well.....Never mind

OpenFireGlass

guess you can't have one without the other... the art of science

& the science of art

parakeet

I believe science and art are both attemping to describe the human condition; it's only their methods that vary. One attempts an objective description; the other, subjective.
As to which does the job better, I think it depends on individual personality. When I started college classes in my late 20s (after my JW experience), I soon recognized a pattern in my classes that I called the "gospel moment." In each introductory 101 course, sooner or later, the prof would deliver a statement to the effect that "if only humanity understood, really understood, literature [or astronomy, education, biology, art, physics, history, etc.], the world would be a better place."
My answer to your question is to discover which discpline speaks to your soul and study it for your own answers.

hamsterbait

BOTH.

This fake choice is the sort of thing the WT holds over everybodys heads.

"science OR the Bible - Which?" Who says we have to choose. Each deals with different aspects of human experience, and often unites them in an "Aha!!" moment.

In some respects science is as subjective as art, and needs the same amount of imagination and fantasy, to arrive at a truly inspired answer to a problem.

HB

parakeet

hamsterbait:
***In some respects science is as subjective as art, and needs the same amount of imagination and fantasy, to arrive at a truly inspired answer to a problem.***

That's true, hamsterbait. I oversimplified the differences to get to my point, which was that either discipline is a valid approach to understanding the world.

smellsgood

BOTH.

This fake choice is the sort of thing the WT holds over everybodys heads.

"science OR the Bible - Which?" ; Who says we have to choose. ; Each deals with different aspects of human experience, and often unites them in an "Aha!!" moment.

In some respects science is as subjective as art, and needs the same amount of imagination and fantasy, to arrive at a truly inspired answer to a problem.

HB>>>>

well said Hamsterbait.

saying one or the other would be like saying that as a human are you happy or sad?

apple pie or ice cream

both , and then more

Science or Art, which best describes the human condition?

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