Thinking about Science, Reflecting on Art: Bringing Aesthetics and Philosophy of Science Together is the first book to systematically examine the relationship between the philosophy of science and aesthetics. With contributions from leading figures from both fields, this edited collection engages with such questions as: Does representation function in the same way in science and in art? What important characteristics do scientific models share with literary fictions? What is the difference between interpretation in the sciences and in the arts? Can there be a science of aesthetics? In what ways can aesthetics and philosophy of science be integrated? Aiming to develop the interconnections between the philosophy of science and the philosophy of art more broadly and more deeply than ever before, this volume not only explores scientific representation by comparison with fiction but extends the scope of interaction to include metaphysical and other questions around methodology in mainstream philosophy of science, including the aims of science, the characterisation of scientific understanding, and the nature of observation, as well as drawing detailed comparisons between specific examples in both art and the sciences.

Why Science Needs Art explores the complex relationship between these seemingly polarised fields. Reflecting on a time when art and science were considered inseparable and symbiotic pursuits, the book discusses how they have historically informed and influenced each other, before considering how public perception of the relationship between these disciplines has fundamentally changed. Science and art have something very important in common: they both seek to reduce something infinitely complex to something simpler. Using examples from diverse areas including microscopy, brain injury, classical art, and data visualization, the book delves into the history of the intersection of these two disciplines, before considering current tensions between the fields. The emerging field of neuroaesthetics and its attempts to scientifically understand what humans find beautiful is also explored, suggesting ways in which the relationship between art and science may return to a more co-operative state in the future. Why Science Needs Art provides an essential insight into the relationship between art and science in an appealing and relevant way. Featuring colorful examples throughout, the book will be of interest to students and researchers of neuroaesthetics and visual perception, as well as all those wanting to discover more about the complex and exciting intersection of art and science.

A philosopher makes the case for thinking of works of art as tools for investigating ourselves In his new book, Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature, the philosopher and cognitive scientist Alva Noë raises a number of profound questions: What is art? Why do we value art as we do? What does art reveal about our nature? Drawing on philosophy, art history, and cognitive science, and making provocative use of examples from all three of these fields, Noë offers new answers to such questions. He also shows why recent efforts to frame questions about art in terms of neuroscience and evolutionary biology alone have been and will continue to be unsuccessful.

This volume builds on two recent developments in philosophy on the relationship between art and science: the notion of representation and the role of values in theory choice and the development of scientific theories. Its aim is to address questions regarding scientific creativity and imagination, the status of scientific performances—such as thought experiments and visual aids—and the role of aesthetic considerations in the context of discovery and justification of scientific theories. Several contributions focus on the concept of beauty as employed by practising scientists, the aesthetic factors at play in science and their role in decision making. Other essays address the question of scientific creativity and how aesthetic judgment resolves the problem of theory choice by employing aesthetic criteria and incorporating insights from both objectivism and subjectivism. The volume also features original perspectives on the role of the sublime in science and sheds light on the empirical work studying the experience of the sublime in science and its relation to the experience of understanding. The Aesthetics of Science tackles these topics from a variety of novel and thought-provoking angles. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in philosophy of science and aesthetics, as well as other subdisciplines such as epistemology and philosophy of mathematics.

This is an open access book. Creativity is a difficult concept, how can it best be defined, understood, applied, and practiced? This book provides important answers to these questions. Technology can enable artists to be more creative. Scientific and artistic thinking give us two complementary tools to understand the complexity of the world, with science reducing subjective experience to essential principles and art intensifying and expanding our experiences. These examples also show how artists can push the boundaries of technology into exciting new realms that have not been explored before. The impact that art and art practice can have on culture, society, and social responsibility is explored in detail through examples and case studies. In addition, the book presents how artists are creating and reflecting cultural and societal resonance in their work. Can other disciplines help artists to be more creative? All are part of an interrelated wider society and enables artists to develop artwork fit for highly interfaced and conceptually broad contemporary contexts. This is illustrated with examples which show exciting and challenging results. Creativity in Art, Design and Technology is relevant for artists, designers, scientists and technologists. All can benefit in a major way from a greater understanding of creativity, and the ways in which mutual interaction and collaboration enables all areas to develop. The potential for the future is immense and this book signposts the way forward.