Jonah Lehrer and paragraphs

October 24, 2019

TREAC: With today’s ever-changing society and use of technology, the connection between the science and arts is weakening. The biggest concern is that we’re losing the ability to connect abstract thought with concrete terms. For example, in “The Future of Science … Is Art?”, Jonah Lehrer discusses that there’s a gap between where science understands the human brain and where the arts understand the perception of self. In this essay, Lehrer says “the standard response of science is that such art is too incoherent and imprecise for the scientific process.” Lehrer’s observation correctly points out that we hold science on such a high platform, while art is seen as a waste of time unless you are Picasso or another one of the greats. Though science is valuable and should be held in high regards, the arts should be held to the same standards given their importance in understanding the self and all the emotions that come with the self.

Barclay: Both Jonah Lehrer and Yo-Yo Ma agree that science and art are needed in tandem to balance out society and its future path. With today’s ever-changing society and use of technology, the connection between the science and arts is weakening. The biggest concern is that we’re losing the ability to connect abstract thought with concrete terms. In “The Future of Science … Is Art?”, Jonah Lehrer discusses that there’s a gap between where science understands the human brain and where the arts understand the perception of self. In this essay, Lehrer says “the standard response of science is that such art is too incoherent and imprecise for the scientific process.” Lehrer’s observation correctly points out that we hold science on such a high platform, while art is seen as a waste of time unless you are Picasso or another one of the greats. Though science is valuable and should be held in high regards, the arts should be held to the same standards given their importance in understanding the self and all the emotions that come with the self. In “Necessary Edges: Art, Empathy, and Education”, Ma stresses the importance of STEAM education in schools. Not necessarily more classes for the arts, but more importance placed on how useful they are. In Ma’s essay, he says “integrative awareness is especially important today as our steichen-driven, technologically advanced world is breaking down into ever more compartments, specializations and disciplines- even as the interdependence of globalization is creating more links with other cultures through which empathetic understanding is vital.” Throughout each essay, both authors make points that I can strongly agree with. Even though science is taking us in new and exciting directions, without art, our society would be cold and too bright. The arts, especially in public education, is a necessity to keep life full of emotions, intrinsic values, and what makes us human.