Does sense perception perform fundamentally distinct functions in the arts and the sciences? To what extent does the artist make an advantage out of the subjective nature of sense perception, while the scientist regards it as an obstacle to be overcome?

by sarahdaa

Sense perception is a tool we use to witness and analyze our surroundings. There are different ways we can use them, although essentially they are used in the same way. There is vision, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. In the Arts, vision is used in a particular way. The subject requires one to use imagination and see one’s surroundings from a different perspective altogether. The auditory sense can also be used as a base to convey a visual idea in the Arts. For example, if an artist hears a sound that indicates “happiness”, such as a bird chirping, they would convey happiness in their art. If they hear a sound that indicates “anger” or “sorrow”, they would generally convey those emotions in their art.. There is also debate over what “happiness” is to different people. A bird chirping may indicate “happiness” for one artist, but it may indicate another emotion to another artist. It can depend on experience. Vision is an essential sense that is used by artists, as they gather colors of the surroundings. In the science, senses are used merely to collect information and to quantitatively/qualitatively analyze surroundings. A scientist does not have a different perspective on a bird chirping, or the color of the sky. They simply use their senses to form evidence and argument. Therefore, senses are used for completely different purposes in the Arts and the Sciences.

 The crucial part of the body, to a scientist and an artist, is the brain. Senses, technically, are used as bases or sources. The brain is the only way one can gather information as it processes what the senses collect. This is true for both arts and sciences. That is why artists may have different perspectives on things, as every person’s brain is structured differently.