Art vs. Science

Spray Paint

Tim Mossholder(CC0)

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March 21, 2010

You know Marcel Proust as the author of the massive autobiographical novel, "In Search of Lost Time." But did you know that Proust can also be considered a scientist? That's the argument that Jonah Lehrer makes in his book, "Proust Was A Neuroscientist." Lehrer explains how Proust made discoveries about the human brain long before science did, as we explore the cultures of arts and science. Also, Richard Holmes on the discovery of the beauty and terror of science during the Romantic era.

 Marcel Proust (seated), Robert de Flers (left) and Lucien Daudet (right), ca. 1894
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Jonah Lehrer says that the great French writer Proust described insights into the way the mind processes memory long before the scientists could prove how the brain worked.

electrode
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Richard Holmes talks with Steve Paulson about how art and science influenced each other during the Romantic period.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 mural
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Brian Boyd talks with Anne Strainchamps about how our love of storytelling helped us evolve.

mellotron
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Dianna Dilworth is a filmmaker and journalist. Her latest documentary is called "Mellodrama: The Mellotron Movie."

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March 21, 2010
February 27, 2011
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Last modified: 
October 20, 2020