R: Art Is Faster Than the Speed of Science

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the Morse Gallery

Michelangelo. The Creation of Adam. circa 1511. Fresco. 230.1 x 480.1 cm. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City.

What is the true relationship between Art and Science, and how should this be realized in our world? The debate is fundamentally one about the nature of human progress: to what extent does each discipline advance our understanding of human potential and our journey towards Truth? Is the scientist nothing without the artist? Does the artist first shine the light towards new realms of human possibility and does the scientist only then direct her work towards it? In other instances, is it not science that actually leads art by posing new ethical questions for art to resolve? The awe and terror-inspiring advances that science has introduced, such as cloning or nuclear weapons continually reopen fundamental questions about life. This polyvalent topic will open the floor to discussions of many aspects of the complex interplay of Art and Science.