In anticipation of the Re-Visioning the (W)hole seminar at the University of Wyoming this week, I submit questions the dean of Arts and Sciences will ask us the first night:
How am I able to tap into my creative personality in my work? The converse could be asked for others: how are you able to tap into your analytical personality in your work?
If a genie were to offer you the following:
a. The most beautiful poem ever imagined;
b. The most fundamental equation of physics, with explanation;
c. The most universal and important truth of philosophy.
Which would you pick, and why?
How can poets, physicists and philosophers talk to each other in a really useful way, and in particular, avoid chattering at such a toned down and superficial level (to insure understanding of non-experts) that only trivialities are voiced?
Though many have tried to turn philosophy into physics, poetry into philosophy, physics into poetry, isn't it best if the three domains are kept separate: Viva les differences?
"Don't you get it, man, it's high brow low brow?"
"Is art's job to make us feel better? or can we feel better by first feeling worse? Richard Hugo in his book The Triggering Town says that if the triggering subject of a poem is big, something like love, death, or faith, say, then the poet's mind tends to shrink and one is not likely to discover much that will become a good poem. Hugo says we should start in the localized and finite, that we should think small. If the poet has a big mind that will show itself. And if the poet can't think small then s/he should try philosophy. Is this right? Are philosophy and poetry at odds? Is one a subset of the other?
From your perspective, what is the role of beauty in science, art, and humanities (or physics, poetry and philosophy); are there beautiful theories/equations, stanzas/lines, and ideas/concepts – and do we mean the same thing in this instances?
And it might be equally interesting to substitute for “beauty” the concepts of truth, morality, rationality, and faith.
Why are so few women represented on this panel?
Outside of this panel event, where is the best place for these sorts of discussions?
Posted by Mike at September 26, 2007 1:19 AM | TrackBack