The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious—the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. (Albert Einstein)
Click play to listen. Recorded on November 10, 2002.
The history of creativity has spurred thousands of debates and contentions, the oldest of which is the contrast between science and art. These two conflicting concepts have been widely accepted as a fight between logic and imagination or fact and fiction. However, as Alan Lightman tells us in this 2002 lecture, science and art are not as easily compartmentalized as one might think. Stemming from a background in both physics and fiction, The MIT physicist, essayist, and award-winning novelist (Einstein's Dreams; The Diagnosis) assesses the contrasting ways scientists and artists think and approach the world.
