Science and Philosophy

 

I have found that eastern thoughts, western philosophy, nature, and science, in their own way, are parallel in discussion about “ I ” and “ we ” to which my art projects are developed in conversation.

 

The Quantum and the Lotus, Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan

 

The Quantum and the Lotus contains dialogues those reflect the perspectives of two quite different lifestyles. Trinh Xuan Thuan is an astrophysicist who was born a Buddhist, and who wanted to confront his scientific knowledge with his philosophical origins. Matthieu Ricard is a Western scientist who became a Buddhist Monk. His personal experience has led him to compare and parallel the two approaches to reality.

 

" Knowledge should teach us about both the nature of the world around us and about our own minds. The awareness lies at the core of the practices of science, philosophy, politics, art, social work, and spirituality. " Matthieu Ricard

 

To me, the scientific aspects in the conversation are quite complex, but the book has inspired me to see across boundary in various fields of study. How could art contribute to society with a sense of universal responsibility?

 

A Thousand Plateaus

 

Gilles Deleuze refers, in A Thousand Plateaus, two principles of connection and heterogeneity; Semiotic chains of every nature are connected to very diverse modes of coding (biological, political, economic, etc.) that bring into play not only different regimes of signs but also states of things of differing status. From the eastern views, the concept of void (Śūnyatā) in Buddhism is stated in a paradoxical meaning that every nature is interrelated. All matters and phenomena, both in physical and metaphysical matters, are interconnected with their cause and effect.