Moving From Art To Science
The urge to reproduce is what turns art into science.
The urge to reproduce is what turns art into science.
When you see an object you like, the higher odds are that it struck you with an emotion; or at least it stirred a desire in you. And desire is part of what it means to be human and alive. That realm of desire, of inspiration, is where art dwells and presides chiefly. All art allows us to express or maybe at least feel a desire. For most of us, feeling or expressing this desire is where it all ends and we go back to our business. But, should you decide to reproduce the object that stirred that desire, you have just made a move to change your domain of operation. You are now straying into the scientific realm.
God bless Francis Bacon. He knew something that many of his contemporaries didn't. That to replicate a result, it is important to master—through continuous observation and rigorous experimentation—certain properties of those things so that you can manipulate them to get that result as many times as you wish. What we now know as induction.
Many scientists before Bacon practiced science in a random fashion, popularly called tinkering and they relied on lucky accidents to arrive at some of their best work. However, when Francis Bacon came on the scene, he conceived of a rigorous method of observation and inquiry that minimised the intrusion of preconceptions and prejudices into inquiry. He arrived at what we now call the scientific method.
In Francis Bacon’s conception, we engage inductive reasoning in studying nature so that we bypass the four idols of the mind. That today, is what we mean by science: a system of investigation. But we apply this method all the time to other things that we don’t call “science.”
What Francis Bacon wanted majorly was to apply this method to nature. And by so doing, gain mastery over nature and make her yield its finest goods for us humans. It is from him we now have the famous quote “For knowledge, too, is itself power.”
In a nutshell, for Sir Bacon, once we commit ourselves to rigorous investigation, we will have what it takes to command nature. The price however is that “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.” The same is true for everything else, not nature alone.
Now, any craft is only appealing as long as it looks like art. Art is what appeals. But to deliver that craft, that object, perhaps that sensation multiple times and at will, it needs to be that we will approach it systematically; a loose synonym for science.
When you read a well-written novel, there are many things you can do after you are done reading it. You may decide to simply relish the effect of the story; to enjoy what the novelist meant. Or you may decide to write a novel inspired by this novel because perhaps you have a beautiful story to share with the world as well. But then, you want to recreate something of the quality of this novel you just finished. What then do you do?
First, pick the novel apart. Analyse it until you identify all the qualities that produced such stirring beauty in you. Was it the author’s choice of words? His cadence? The imagery? The scenery? The vividness? Identify all that. Identify those qualities and properties by name. Perhaps, categorise them. Next, ask why. Why does it lull you with so much beauty? Why doesn't a different novel have the same effect on you? This other, unstirring novel is your control experiment. Compare it with the real novel of interest. Is it possible that they both share some qualities yet they do not have a similar effect on you? Ask why. When you begin analysing and investigating an object of interest rather than merely relishing a sensation, you migrate from enjoying art to doing science.
Do you want to reproduce Van Gogh’s post-impressionism? Then you must study how he does it. Does he have a consistent direction for his brush stroke? You will experiment a lot, and you will be mired in endless repetitions until you gain mastery.
Does Kendrick Lamar have a refined note-taking system that allows him to have rap lyrics handy when he needs them? Then you know what to do.
Do this with writing, cooking, with weaving. Find out why the best movies are the best. And find out why average movies are not the best. What do they have that others don't?
It is good, I think if you are a critic. The problem, however, with being a critic is being a critic only. It is more profitable for you to apply your critical abilities in building things. Pick things apart because you want to put them back together; perhaps to put them back better than you met them. That is also how innovation happens.
Once again, what connects art to science is the urge to replicate. Have a great week.