Five Quotes about Science and Art
Art is I; science is we.
Claude Bernard, 19th century French physiologist:
"Science and art are the handmaidens of religion."
François Delsarte, 19th century French singing teacher who invented an important style of acting:
"The function of Art is to imitate Nature in her manner of operation. Our understanding of her manner of operation changes according to advances in the sciences."
John Cage, 20th century American composer:
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious—the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
Albert Einstein, 20th century German-born, American theoretical physicist and philosopher,
often regarded as the father of modern physics:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."
The Touro Communication Club
2 pm - Wednesday, March 24, 2010– Room 223
“Notes on Science and Art –The Complementary Divide”
A discussion led by Touro poet and teacher Charles Borkhuis. Although contemporary culture tends to view science as the sole purveyor of truth, ironically, the one reality that humans will ever know stands outside the domain of scientific investigation. Lived experience is not quantifiable; it needs a qualitative, descriptive mode to impart understanding. Science and art are addressing the same world, but their dissimilar methods have left us in a dualistic quandary. Are science and art irreconcilably divided, as many experts maintain, or are they parts of a complementary dialogue about the universe and our place in it?
Logical Fallacy of the Week: Ad Hominum
We introduce this week a new feature of the Communication Club blog that focuses on one of the many, many logical fallacies that people use without an awareness of how they skew an argument.
This week’s “Ad Hominum” fallacy is one of the most popular. You may use it frequently. You may know it as “name calling.”
Every time an Ad Hominum argument is interjected into a conversation, the emotional climate changes. Emotions explode. The person is attacked, not the issue. Often it is used as a way to manipulate a situation. Nasty business.
Every time an Ad Hominum argument is interjected into a conversation, the emotional climate changes. Emotions explode. The person is attacked, not the issue. Often it is used as a way to manipulate a situation. Nasty business.
Examples abound: “The President is an idiot!” “The Knicks are stupid!” “You’re saying that because you want to suck up to the professor.” “All men are dogs.” “All women are bitches.”
Strategy: Notice the emotional temperature rises just before the Ad Hominum statement is hurled at a person.
A Note to Communicators:
Science, Art and Communication
When we try to communicate orally, we use words and gestures that indicate our ideas and feelings about a particular topic. Both Science and Art also use words and gestures and more, but they are used for entirely different purposes.
All three – Science, Art and public speaking (the rhetorical arts) –use similar elements. Theme, structure, coherence, unity, variety are among the touchstones of all three.
Each in their own way attempts to express aspects of the human condition. Science searches for the underlying principles that allow us to exist. Its audience is not necessarily human, but that elusive “Truth.”
On the other hand, Art (I am using “art” in its most general sense – visual arts including film, dance, music, theater and architecture) sees the human condition through the eyes of the individual artist. It is the “Truth” of the individual artist that matters in Art. Similarly, the individual speaker attempts to express a personal vision, employing the information, aspirations and difficulties of the human condition.
Where a speaker delivers a message to a particular audience at a particular time, neither science nor art has a specific audience in mind. To be effective, the speaker tailors the message to specific people.
Where Science undertakes its journey with unbiased objectivity and balance, the Art welcomes the emotional component as a fuller expression of how the human being exists. The speaker uses both reason and emotion in preparing informational and persuasive speeches.
The excitement of both science and art comes in the discovery of new and different insights into the human condition. The speaker may have these same lofty goals but is allied with the arts in that he/she cannot be dull. The speaker that is without feelings in his/her delivery is a boring ineffective speaker.
Touro poet/professor Charles Borkhuis will undoubtedly explore these ideas on Wednesday. He will probably agree that Science and Art may appear to be entirely different, but both use similar tools to illuminate who we are.
Our subject is not surprising. “The proper study of mankind is man,” Alexander Pope, the 18th century English poet and essayist, once wrote. However, E.B. White, American humorist and English stylist, expands on Pope, saying, “The proper study of man is man – says man.”
UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS:
April 7, 2010 – “Current Events” Some possible topics: Albany, Washington, Chile, Iran, the latest scandal, Health Care, the Economy, and People in the news. Besides keeping up on what’s happening in the local, regional, national and international worlds, we will look for patterns of recurring themes in the news. The current 24/7 news cycle the drives the media to fill the air creates a frenzied, breathless indiscriminate pseudo importance to everything. For example, the National Enquirer may be one of the nominees for a Pulitzer Prize in reporting for its on-going story of the John Edwards domestic disaster. And he was the Democratic nominee for VP in 2004!
April 14. 2010 “Jokefest” – In response to a member request to have more comedy, we will ask everyone to bring at least 3 jokes to try out on the audience. We’ll open with one joke after another. After several rounds, then we’ll stop our laughing and ask ourselves what have we heard, why did some jokes work and others did not, what have the jokes communicated, what kinds of jokes are offensive, etc. At least we should have a good time, yukking at ourselves.
April 21, 2010 - Introducing “The Critical Listening Institute”- We don’t practice our listening skills. For this first session, we will listen to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and discover how he constructs his message, the images he uses and how he uses repetition to make his point. (We’ll do Revel’s “Bolero” next)
What about one of these topics?
“Rodney King: ‘Why Can’t We Get Along?”
“Repetition”
“Meaning”
“The Seven Heavenly Virtues”
“Why Does History Repeat Itself?”
“Heroism”
“Concentration”
“Coping with Adversity”
“Distraction”
Student Poetry showcase
“Empathy”
“Connecting the Dots”
Role play of cynical people
“Cold Calling in Sales”
“He’s Just Not That into You”
“Money”
“Freedom”
And dozens of others!
What happened on Wednesday,
March 17, 2010?
Compare the notice of the session with what really happened!
Dean Donne Kampel on “Women & Leadership”-
Women are breaking through the glass ceiling more frequently these days. However, the challenges that female leaders face in traditional hierarchy remain daunting. Dr. Kampel will share some of her experiences and secrets as part of our discussion. Her study of these issues is part of her forthcoming book on the topic.
Leadership is certainly a popular topic and many people were drawn to Dean Donne Kampel’s discussion. They included newcomers Sabra Brock, Bashe Simon, Ahmet Foruk Colok, Stephen Camacho, Marlen Perdomo. Familiar faces included Brittany Robles, Jean Missial, David Nussbaum, Richard Green., Chui Hing Yau, Charles Mason, Markus Vayndorf, Carlisle Yearwood, Sara Tabaei, Lorinda Moore, Kiresh Shrestha and Hal Wicke
Dean Kampel noted that “Women and Leadership,” was her doctoral dissertation in which she examined the leadership styles of 13 women college presidents. She was particularly interested in the paths these women took to become heads of 4 year colleges.
One of the factors in the success of these women, Dean Kampel remarked, was that all of them had mentors, either male or female.
Dean Kampel reminded the audience of the 1970’s social movements – women and feminists, black power and the civil rights – which dominated the tumultuous atmosphere of the period.
She asked “What is leadership?” A variety of responses included:
· The ability to thing outside the box.
· Do you walk in front or follow behind?
· Plan but also implement.
· The transactional leader who is aware of many elements simultaneously.
She held up the flyer for today’s meeting. It showed parallel photos of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. The juxtaposition of the two created a volatile discussion of varying interpretations.
· Palin is not a leader, but a celebrity.
· There are men who lead like women and women who lead like men, but women seem to be more aware of relationships than men.
· When a man is aggressive, it is normal. When a woman (Hillary Clinton?) behaves similarly, it is objectionable.
· The differences may be ones of style.
· Carol Gilligan is a well-known Harvard scholar of women’s students, speaks about leadership issues for women.
· Many women in literature in the 19th century provided a foundation for the women’s movement in the 20th century.
· Women leaders: Queen Elizabeth I & II, Queen Victoria, Golda Meier (Israel), Margaret Thatcher (England) Angela Merkel (Germany), Michele Bachelet (Chile), etc.
· Leadership begins in the home with the mother teaching her family.
· There is a difference between leadership and politics.
· Women have empathy; men less so.
· Be a good leader by being a good servant.
· Male leadership models – Army generals Patton, Montgomery, MacArthur.
· Change in attitude toward leaders
· Larry Summers fired as president of Harvard for anti-female remarks.
· The woman’s fight against the glass ceiling
Dr. Sabra Brock’s research shows that there is no different between male and female leadership.
· Suggestion: Dr. Brock vs. Dr. Kampel on women and leadership.
Question to the 6 women: Do you consider yourself a leader? All say “Yes.”
Markus – leadership emerges from common ideas; part of leadership is the implementation of ideas.
Final thoughts – What thoughts do you come away with from today?
· You can do anything you want.
· You must analyze yourself
· There’s an elephant in the room [not clear what it is]
· There’s no difference between men and women.
· Women as leaders is a non-issue for me, so long as all are represented equally.
· Where do we get our influences? The outcome of our desires.
· Ursula Burns, new CEO of Xerox, is an African-American woman, promoted by her predecessor, Ann Mulcahy.
Current events: The Texas school controversy where publishers follow what Texas school board want in their curriculum. Many states follow the textbook choices of Texas.
---
We always have a great time exploring these issues. So often our daily life never focuses on these Communication issues. If you have something you want us to discuss please let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
Next time bring a friend. The Communication Club is always an open discussion, limited only by time. Everyone gets a chance to speak. All opinions are welcome. Here is an opportunity for students to challenge professors’ views outside the class without any homework or assignments. You just have to show up and listen and talk if you want.
Hal Wicke
Hal Wicke
No comments:
Post a Comment