Scientific study leads to experiencing beauty in life!

I was having a discussion with a friend who is a PhD in Physics that enlightened me about his present passion of pursuing the Theory of Complexity. As a novice scientist type I attempted to throw in some of my philosophy of science jargon only to be taken back but delighted by his statement that discovery of new theorems always leads to beauty. I was a little shocked to hear that ascetics had something to do with pursuing the unifying equation that would ultimately explain the what and why of life!

As we exchanged thoughts on discovery and inspiration about scientific notions, after our tutoring with our kids, I was rebuffed to have not seen my friend truly as a coinsure of beauty! Isn’t it possible to step back and realize that the power of the mind is revealed through the wedding of science and the arts! Clearly the de Vinci types over the centuries have shown how many pursuing understanding of the universe are also ascetics whose self-expression reveal the beauty of life in its’ complexity through art.

Our discussion revolved around the present opportunity to still talk about the arts, God, science and understanding life in a way that shows the beauty of the universe. The reality is that in many ways man has advanced immensely in the last 100 years, yet, the ongoing study of the pyramids in Egypt show the wonder and mystery of the discovery of how the Egyptians did it! I stand back in awe as I consider the vastness of the universe the amount of energy being dispersed by our sun. I at times ponder what is the essence of a thought? Is it a chemical process that allows our minds to retain images, thoughts, sounds, smells, etc.… for a life time?

I know personally that the quest for understanding and figuring out reality is a noble pursuit even for a lifetime. The conundrum is that it seems like the more I learn the more I’m humbled to realize how little I know and more so how great is the study of life. I asked my friend whether he believed that scientific discovery was an inductive or deductive referring to the actual process of discovery. I enjoyed his quizzical response that showed it wasn’t easy to delineate the discovery of processes but the end result to him always produced beauty.

 I joked a little about how it shouldn’t be a surprise that ascetics and science go together in the unfolding of the essence of life and how beauty should be part of the methodology! As we were finishing cleaning up after working with 30 plus kids it struck me how mysterious life happens to be.  The puzzled look of a child who asks a profound soul searching question that I’m unable to address reminds me that man’s quest for knowledge and understanding of life will always continue.

Yes, life is a rather complex system and while I watched the beauty of a sunset it reminds me of the majesty of the world, the universe around us and the vastness of the Creator who designed it all!