How can we explain poetry and science?
1 Answer | Add Yours
There is a study called epistemology, which examines “ways of knowing”. Science is one way of knowing – deductive reasoning, gathering of physical “facts”, etc. But art (and literature – poetry – is an art) is another “way of knowing”, one which relies on another function of the mind – intuition, feeling, super-rational connections – to help us “understand” the complexities of our earthly existence. A wise man once said “Science is a need for order; art is a rage for chaos”. Poetry, as part of the literary manifestation of rhetoric, is related to (but not the same as) science, but its subtle relationships defy “scientific” taxonomy. As educators, we can explain the different "tasks" of the human conscience, and give equal value to "logic" and to "intuition."
Join to answer this question
Join a community of thousands of dedicated teachers and students.Join eNotes