Zones of inhibition : interactions between art and science

Abstract

It has been suggested that successful art helps to solve our emotional problems. Can it therefore help with our current crisis in the relationship between biological science and society? Art and science are activities that have seemingly different cultures; scientists are seen as objective and rational, artists as subjective and intuitive. Each inhabit cultures that are seen to be mutually exclusive, but this has not always been the case. For example, during the Renaissance, people were schooled across both art and science and there was no clear dividing line. Where did the split occur, and is their interaction important in the 21st century?