Blog #10, Jonah Lehrer, “The Future of Science is… Art?”

Part 1) The main argument in Jonah Lehrer’s “The Future of Science is… Art?” is that science can only explain a part of human life through experimentation and data. He insists that to fully understand human nature, we must look objectively at consciousness as a whole, specifically human creativity. I specifically enjoyed the facet regarding Dvorak’s 7th Symphony, and how the audible “language” of the music causes the mind to feel rewarded when music flows in a way that the brain can predict. Music is by its nature artwork. It conveys the composer’s emotions to the listener, and can cause the listener to feel emotions as well. Lehrer uses this example of creativity, but he doesn’t mention the fact that music is also very structured, orderly, and “scientific” as well. Anyone who can read sheet music understands just how strict, structured, and unforgiving written music can be.

Part 2)

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle- In quantum mechanics, the Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle or Uncertainty principle, also known as orHeisenberg’s indeterminacy principle, is any of a variety of mathematical inequalities asserting a fundamental limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties of a particle

The bridging principle- The brain’s neural “even” that explains how the activity of our brain cells create the experience of consciousness

Reductionism- The practice of analyzing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of phenomena that are held to represent a simpler or more fundamental level, especially when this is said to provide a sufficient explanation.

Synapse- A junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.

Epiphenomenon- A secondary effect or byproduct that arises from but does not causally influence a process, in particular.

Holistic perspective-  Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

Metaphor- Relating one thing to another without using the words “like” or “as”.

Part 3)

Antonin Dvorak- A Czech composer born in 1841. Lehrer uses his 7th Symphony as an example on how the brain reacts to different musical compositions.

Niels Bohr- A Danish physicist born in 1885. Lehrer uses his study into the appearance of atoms as an example on how science is sometimes limited when it comes to re-imagining material that is already commonly accepted as fact.