Erasing a Line

The line between literature and science has definitely blurred for me after this class, and I may go so far as to say it has disappeared. I think that, as Laura said, “boxing and compartmentalizing” aspects of academia and the world can sometimes just hinder us. Literature and science are just two ways of telling stories about the world. Some people had trouble with the idea that science is a “story”, but I think that is only problematic if we assume stories are all lies. We have this notion that there is more truth in science, when stories contain truth about the human condition. Emotions people experience, life experiences, the sense of past and future—these are all things that we can account for, that we know exist because we have felt them. Just because the stories may not be “true” doesn’t mean that what they convey is false. In science, the facts presented in scientific papers are observations. These facts do not have meaning until a story is told about them in the discussion. We cannot understand the world until we make stories for it. Without the metaphor, we wouldn’t have science. There are so many things that we cannot see, like atoms, molecules, and processes that occur in cells, that much of it relies on imagination and models. Without stories and creativity, science wouldn’t have a future. Literature also must stick to some aspects of “truth” and observations in order to survive in society. People like to read something they can relate to, or make use of. If a story is too far from reality, it can’t serve a purpose for the reader. I believe that it is important for different fields of academia should be more collaborative because there is so much that each can learn from one-another. I definitely saw that process occur in this classroom between not only students of science and literature, but also Paul and Anne. No one person can know everything, just like no one field can know everything. Sometimes the solution to a problem is in the most unlikely place, and collaboration is definitely crucial to making a cohesive story of the world.