18 Mar
2015
18 Mar
'15
8:06 a.m.
The CEU Department of Philosophy cordially invites you to a talk
(as part of its Departmental Colloquium series)
by
Angela Breitenbach (University of Cambridge)
on
The Science of Beauty and the Beauty of Science
Tuesday, 24 March 2015, 5.30 PM, Zrinyi 14, Room 412
ABSTRACT
It is common to praise the beauty of theories, the elegance of proofs, the simplicity of
explanations and the unity of theoretical systems. We admire the beauty of Einstein's
theory of general relativity, the simplicity of Darwin's idea of evolution by natural
selection, and the elegance of a geometrical proof of Pythagoras' theorem. And yet the
use of aesthetic criteria in science is as controversial as it is widespread. Difficulties
arise on two sides. First, philosophers of science have long wondered why apparently
subjective concerns for the beauty and elegance of theories should play any role in the
search for objective knowledge. Second, aestheticians have questioned the supposedly
aesthetic character of scientists' judgments of beauty.
My focus in this paper is on the second set of questions, and my aim to spell out an
answer the roots of which I trace back to Kant. I argue that, on Kant's account, the
beauty of science cannot be identified with the properties of theories, proofs or
explanations. But I reject the popular conception, which portrays Kant as diametrically
opposed to the rationalist endorsements of the science of beauty as well as the beauty of
science. I argue instead that we can take from Kant the notion of a distinctive aesthetic
experience, associated with our contemplating and understanding the results of science. I
suggest, finally, that this answer may prove fruitful not only for aesthetics but also for
tackling the questions raised by philosophers of science.
Krisztina Biber
Department of Philosophy
Coordinator
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Central European University
Nador u. 9. | 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Office: + 36.1.327.3806 | biberk(a)ceu.hu | www.ceu.hu