Geometry in science and art

"Science, Art and Geometrical Imagination"

by

Jean-Pierre Luminet

Abstract:

From the geocentric, closed world model of Antiquity to the wraparound universe models of relativistic cosmology, the parallel history of space representations in science and art
illustrates the fundamental role of geometric imagination in innovative findings. Through the analysis of works of various artists and scientists like Plato, Dürer, Kepler, Escher, Grisey or the present author, it is shown how the process of creation in science and in the arts rests on aesthetical principles such as symmetry, regular polyhedra, laws of harmonic proportion, tessellations, group theory, etc., as well as beauty, conciseness and emotional approach of the world.

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Beauty and the beast : the aesthetic moment in science

by

Ernst Peter Fischer

Elizabeth Oehlkers [Translator]

ISBN 0306460114

In this engaging treatise, science historian Dr. Ernst Peter Fischer puts forth a convincing appeal to both the public and scientists, urging us to reconsider the way we arrive at the truth in science. Encouraging us to approach science with all our senses, Fischer posits a universal aesthetic sense that spurs our imagination and leads it to profound revelations about human and cosmic nature. He delves into the lives of major thinkers and scientists from Bacon to Watson and Crick, pinpointing how they have been guided by their instinct and individual sense of beauty in the pursuit of knowledge. Showing how the aesthetic delights of thought, analysis, research, and discovery are leading components of the scientific mind and process, he examines everything from snowflakes to the overall makeup of the space-time continuum.

He explores these concepts and others including the golden mean, evolution, symmetry in nature, as well as imaginary numbers and irrationality as proof of beauty in science. He presents truth as a state of beauty - and beauty as the embodiment of truth. This book will appeal to lay people and scientists alike.