Is life a science or an art?

I am sure many of you are already aware that I am a sponge for knowledge and I have been this way for my entire life. When I was a toddler, and begin to speak, I wanted to understand anything and everything. As time went on, I wrote a book about the Unanswered Questions in Life. For example, does chicken taste the same way to you as it does to me; when I look in the mirror do I see a reflection or maybe another world looking back at me; and what makes two people fall in love? Keep in mind, I was probably about ten or eleven years old when I completed this “book,” and it proves that I was interested in philosophy at an early age. But as time has gone on, I realized that my intrigue had little to do with philosophy and everything to do with the meaning of life. What I realized is that my “meaning” could be completely different than any of your meanings. We all have the ability to create our own meaning for living and define our own purpose in the world. Therefore, is life a science or an art?

Science can be defined as something that has been proven, time and time again, in order to achieve the same result as each prior trial. On the other hand, art is something that is unique to the creator, where they are able to depict their views in an aesthetic manner, and the interpretation of the end product is highly individualized. Therefore, on our continuum of life, the concept of art and science are at two opposite ends of the spectrum. But if this is the case, then why do so many people believe that you need to do A, B, and then C in order to get D? This would lead me to believe that life is a science, even though I wholeheartedly disagree with this philosophy. I believe that it is possible to do A, E, F and G in order to get Y, if Y is what you were looking to achieve.

A perfect example of this occurs when a parent assumes that they know who the perfect “suitor” is for their child. Before I provide my analysis of this situation, I want all of you to understand that the definition of “assumes,” in this situation, is highly influencing and convincing the child to pursue the person that the parent thinks is best for them, even if their child disagrees.  My philosophy on this situation is that the parent is most likely operating through the eyes of a scientist because they are basing this recommendation on an equation that leads to a happy marriage. “You need to make sure you choose someone who has the same religious beliefs as you, a stable career, good looking, comes from a supportive family, is not a workaholic, and wants to have children within the next two years.” This is what I call an equation that looks like the following:

A+B+C+D+E+F=G

A=Same Religion

B=Stable Career

C=Good Looking

D=Supportive Family

E=Not a workaholic

F=Wants children in two years

G=Happily Married

However, this scientific equation does not guarantee that G will take place, which proves my point that LIFE is not a science, but rather an art. Who says that we need to follow specific steps to elicit a certain result? The reason that science was accepted initially is because someone understood the fundamental principle that things are created as an art and then proven with science. Therefore, when it comes to your relationship, career, diet or exercise programs, breaking an addiction, etc. create your own masterpiece of art and then prove that it works through your own science.

This theory is also common when dealing with someone in the business world, who possesses years of experience, and believes that they have the answer to whatever question they are asked. This situation recently occurred in my life when someone questioned how developing the IDENTITY REVOLUTION could turn into a viable business. He told me:

“In order to succeed in business, you need to create something of value. I believe that your message is valuable, but I do not think that there is a business model here that can be monetized. But if you were to enter into my line of business, and follow these steps, you would make a substantial amount of money.”

What if Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, Howard Schultz, Mark Zuckerberg and many of the other innovators of our time listened to the scientific naysayer’s in their world? The point that I am making is that I believe LIFE IS AN ART. I do not believe that there are specific steps that can be taken in order to rear your children; I do not believe that there are explicit actions that can be implemented in order to achieve financial success; and I most certainly do not believe that there is a scientific equation for love. If you agree with this philosophy, then I encourage you to make your own masterpiece of life and realize that you will always have a clean canvas to work with as long as you recognize that life is an art, NOT a science…

Is life a science or an art?

What does this mean to you? Please leave a comment.

Some pictures from Flickr.