When science and art meet

Rodrigo Herrera Camo
Professor of Astronomy UdeC
Co-Leader of the Max Planck Institute-UdeC

Is there a relationship between science and art? Motivated by this question, as Núcleo Milenio titans Last Friday, July 30, we organized a discussion that included the presence of prominent astronomers and astronomers, who at the same time developed artistic careers in the worlds of writing, theater and music. The full interview is available on our Youtube channel Astronomy in your home.

In my opinion, the speakers agreed that although science and art have different languages ​​for approaching and interpreting the world in the case of science, mathematics and the scientific method, and in the case of art, the multiple forms of artistic expression – there is a common point regarding creativity and imagination. These two adjectives are often associated with the arts, but they are also key to scientific development. For example, when an astronomer encounters the mysteries posed by a starry night, it is not only the technology available that provides answers, but rather the scientist’s ability to identify important questions, imagination to think of all possible answers, creativity to design observations and methods of analysis that allow finding solutions. AndThis in turn encourages the creation of new technologies, enhancing the technological development and growth cycle of countries.

Given the importance of creativity and imagination in human development, Are we satisfied with how it is stimulated and developed in our education system? According to the panelists, one of the problems facing our current education is to present both art and science as completely separate worlds, when in reality, together, they can produce educational experiences that foster the most useful learning.

In this sense, it is necessary to break down barriers, to think that science and art live on opposite tracks, or worse, that we have the ability to develop only one of them at a time, and therefore we must choose in school if we are scientists or artists. My dream is for the spirit of the Renaissance to become more present in our schools, and we understand that the integrated and diverse development of our creative capacities, in both science and art, will help us find answers to the new challenges of the twenty-first century. gifts.