Arts/Science

I always describe myself as an arts/science person. This is not because I cannot decide which one is more important to me. Rather, it is because both equally fascinate me and one side helps me appreciate and understand the other so much better. I love the science behind why Jesus is positioned the way he is in “The Last Supper” or why Adele’s vocal give us chills during “Set Fire to the Rain”. Conversely, I am a science major because I see the beautiful art that underlies most scientific functions. They are simple and random, but also complex and perfectly orchestrated.

Let’s take a look at the craft of beer making. I truly consider this to be an art form and both my appreciation of science and art make me appreciate this type of art immensely. Let me first start off by saying that I am not much of a drinker. I just personally get a lot of pleasure out of it. While that may be true, I am absolutely fascinated by the art of alcohol production and bartending. I want to focus on just beer for right now, though. All forms of it starts out with the same four basic ingredients: water, a grain, hops (or other flavoring), and yeast. Through different levels of each and addition of other ingredients, beer turns into the thousands of varieties that we can find today. I personally find this stunning and beautiful in its own right. It’s the same reason why I find the brain so beautiful, it is complexity from simplicity. Others may disagree with me, but this is how I find beauty and this is how I define art.

Art and Science comingle in my mind so easily that I can’t really see the boundary that others draw between the two. Science is beautiful and art has reasoning behind it. The two are siblings that exist peacefully and are the ones who force them to be separate. I think we should all take some time to appreciate the beauty of both.