If Sophie and Mikkel should happen to read this, they will wonder how I so did not get their drift. For, in fact, I felt inspired talking to them but inspiration doesn’t always translate into comprehension.
Nevertheless, here is what I heard or understood, no what they actually said.
Sophie and Mikkel are researchers at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. We chatted after dinner at the place we were staying at in Nikko. They told me what their research was about but, I must admit, I really had no clue in spite of nodding vigorously as if I did. That, however, was the uninspiring part.
The inspiring part came when I told them that my granddaughter, Audrey, was going to study neuroscience at Western Washington. This, too, is not inspiring, at least not to me. But, let me be clear, Audrey herself IS inspiring to me! They, however, were immediately enthusiastic to let me know that neural science is a fascinating field of study that somehow relates to whatever obscure work they are doing in the realm of digital something-or-other. Was it “digital” or some other such field of human endeavor?
Anyway, the inspiring part is coming. They mentioned philosophy and Descartes. They have the impression that Descartes is still relevant. I had thought that his, “I think, therefore I am” was just a quaint remnant of the philosophical past. I guess not.
Anyway, as I understood what they were saying, the creative underpinnings of neural science are rooted in Descartes. I can’t begin to fathom how but, since they were real nice and seemed to be good people, I believed them.
I have been telling Audrey, only somewhat facetiously, that the real money and fame were to be found in the philosophical arts. Of course, rolling of eyes ensued.
Here is where I’m just going to guess at what Sophie and Mikkel were implying, that Descartes conclusion was just a beginning of what must be explored using all forms of creative energy from many and varied sources. Neural science is a piece of that, maybe a big piece. However, better than just a “hard science” it would best serve the world in collaboration with a diverse array of artistic fields. This is the kind of thing they do, or I guess that’s what they do, at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
How, you might ask, does this apply to me as I travel Japan and how is it inspiring?
Creativity itself is inspiring. All forms, all fields. The idea of a network of collaborative network of sciences, informed by the work of artists, writers, sculptors, musicians, actors, makes me, anything but a science guy, inspired.
Before I began my trip I was told that I would meet interesting people. Enter, Sophie and Mikkel.
Autumn In Japan 