Jonah Lehrer’s main argument in his article, “The Future of Science…Is Art,” is science needs art, they need to coexist together because they complete each other. The article talks about modern science when it says, “modern science has made little progress toward any unified understanding of everything….It’s not that we don’t have all the answer. It’s that we don’t even know the question” (2). Science needs the arts and an artists needs to be intertwined with the experimental process. A bridge needs to be built between the sciences and the arts, “By heeding the wisdom of the arts, science can gain the kinds of new insights and perspectives that are the seeds of scientific process” (2). In order for our brains to dig deeper and widen our perception then we need an artistic imagination. Art will one day be a crucial source of scientific ideas (5). The research of science is a hard and long process, but, “we need to draw from both science and art, so that each completes the other” (6).

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle: it is impossible to measure two properties of a quantum object, such as its position and momentum (or energy and time), simultaneously with infinite precision (Google)

“The bridging principle”: the neural even that would explain how the activity of our brain cells create the subjective experience of consciousness and making connections between two, yet separate things

Reductionism: the practice of analyzing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of phenomena that are held to represent a simpler or more fundamental level, especially when this is said to provide a sufficient explanation (Google)

Synapse: a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter (Google)

Epiphenomenon: a secondary effect or byproduct that arises from but does not causally influence a process, in particular (Google)

Holistic perspective: means that we are interested in engaging and developing the whole person. You can think of this as different levels, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. It’s the concept that the human being is multi-dimensional. We have conscious and unconscious aspects, rational and irrational aspects (Google)

Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable (Google)

Other words that I had to look up for myself:

Trajectory: the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces (Google)

Quantum: a discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the radiation it represents (Google)

Enigma: a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand (Google)

Callous: showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others (Google)

Paradigm: a typical example or pattern of something; a model (Google)

Ephemeral: lasting for a very short time (Google)

One artist I chose is Virginia Woolf. Her role in this essay is how she focuses on writing about, “life as it’s lived” (2). She wants to focus on moments of the ordinary mind on any regular day. She has been studying for years and it has been said that her novels feel true because they tell a part of reality that explains itself. Woolf describes the mind from the inside and uses consciousness as a guide.

One scientist I chose is David Chalmers who is a philosopher and scientist. He specializes in the mind and language. His role in this essay is by talking about consciousness and having the view that we will, “require a new scientific approach, one that is able to incorporate the wisdom of the arts” (4).  He believes that there is more than just our brain to explain our consciousness. He explores the reasoning behind our consciousness as humans and why we have one.