Science, Serendipity and the Search for Truth: Point of View I FREE February 15, 2007

Free

Featuring Amy Parish, Victor Navasky and Jon Boorstin

The search for truth is a quintessentially human pursuit, and also the prime business of universities. And yet, artistic, scientific, humanistic and journalistic truths have become so segregated that students--like the public at large--have come to see them as disconnected and often irrelevant to each other. Students identify themselves as belonging to one tribe or another, and soon become intimidated or disinterested (or both) in finding out what the others have to offer.

In fact, the most productive kinds of truth-seeking--as well as the most interesting--often draw from many disciplines, and ultimately inform them as well. Playwrights, poets, painters, philosophers, filmmakers, novelists, musicians, choreographers and journalists all have mined the physical universe for insights into the nature of everything from love to social movements and even God. Scientists rely on aesthetics as much as logic, and their work takes place in a cultural and artistic context (it's no mere coincidence that cubism, quantum mechanics and James Joyce emerged during the same period of time). Both cosmologists and theologians study the origin and fate of the universe. Sound decision-making relies on aesthetics as well as facts; ethicists, physicists and composers all care about what's "ugly" and "beautiful" (in behavior, equations, music).

It would be easy for a student to complete their course of studies, however, and not know that physics is natural philosophy--that our very notions of right and wrong, of human nature and human potential, of fairness and progress, are deeply embedded in our beliefs about how the physical world works. (The same principle, of symmetry, underlies Einstein's theories of relativity and the Golden Rule.) It would be equally easy for them to complete their education believing that the arts and humanities had nothing to say to the "hard" sciences.

Thus, they miss out not only on the pleasures of exploring the links between art and science, but also on the very significant insights that can result.

Science, Serendipity and the Search for Truth puts science on stage in an informal series of conversations and performances alongside music, theater, journalism, religion, film, dance and other disciplines to see what serendipitous connections might bubble up. The informality of the presentations and discussions will encourage intellectual risk-taking--on the part of the presenters and the audience. People will feel free to "play" with ideas in any way they like--falling on their faces if need be, rather than bending over backwards to please some arbitrary convention. Nothing will be rigged, staged, hyped or in any way polished and sanitized or overly practiced. Because of this, we have reason to believe that real discoveries can be made.

The events will be spread out over the course of the year so that people can let what they see and hear sink in, percolate and evolve in whatever way they will. The timing will provide many avenues of participation for faculty and students alike, including course assignments and projects.

We have chosen two interconnected subjects to explore during our adventures in interdisciplinary sightseeing--uncertainty and point of view--two ideas that play a major role in both journalism and physics (the respective fields of the coordinators of this series).

Point of View
As physicists know better than anyone, the way we look at things determines what we see. A point of view is inescapable. Yet science and journalism both are frequently expected to be "objective"--a goal that is not only unattainable, but intrinsically fraudulent and ultimately counterproductive. Instead, the lesson of both relativity and quantum mechanics is that "truth" emerges only when "point of view" is inserted squarely into the equation. As the philosopher Max Otto wrote: "Let us remember that even Plato wore spectacles, and that if he or any absolutist ignores or repudiates this fact, it only makes him careless of the kind he wears."

Our first program on point of view will focus on the limitations and opportunities afforded by the necessary use of multiple points of view in a variety of perhaps surprising contexts. For example, USC anthropologist Amy Parish will discuss how point of view has been central to her research into relationships among female bonobos, close cousins to chimpanzees who may be our closest living relatives; many aspects of their female-dominated society challenge popular assumptions about human evolution, so male anthropologists have tended to interpret results very differently from the way female anthropologists have. Amy also teaches in USC's Gender Studies program. From a journalistic perspective, Victor Navasky, author of the recently published A Matter of Opinion, will draw on his experience as an editor at Monocle, "a leisurely quarterly of political satire" (it came out twice a year), The New York Times and The Nation to speak about objectivity, subjectivity, ideology and opinion. Victor is currently chairman of the Columbia Journalism Review. Finally, Jon Boorstin, Oscar-nominated filmmaker and author of Making Movies Work, will talk about how making movies, and enjoying them, relies upon the mysteries of point of view.

Additional series events: Uncertainty, Part 1: Thursday, August 31 at 7 p.m., Annenberg Auditorium Uncertainty, Part 2: Thursday, November 16 at 7 p.m., Annenberg Auditorium Point of View, Part 2: Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m., Gin Wong Conference Center

Each of these programs will expand our horizons in a way that will give us a new set of tools for probing "truth." Each facet adds perspective, allows new connections to be explored and brings the central themes into sharper focus. In a sense, we are adding pixels to our image--refining the grain. At the same time, we are enlarging the frame so that it can embrace more and spill over the edges into unexplored territory.

Because the themes uncertainty and point of view are integral aspects of each other, we expect cross-fertilization not only within but among thematic groupings. This not only amplifies the impact but considerably enhances the potential for connections.

We invite the presenters and audience to take risks, seek connections and, above all, enjoy the delight that comes from the free exchange of ideas.

Organized by K.C. Cole (journalism) and Clifford Johnson (physics).

For further information on this event:
[email protected]

Official Website: http://www.usc.edu/webapps/events_calendar/custom/113/index.php?category=Item&item=0.861401&active_category=Upcoming