Importance of the unexplained

Baden H. Rosales 

Mrs. Kirilova 

Theory of Knowledge 

January 5th, 2023 

Importance of the Unexplained 

It is impossible for one person to understand everything or even grasp a tiny fraction of the collective knowledge we humans have compiled in our brief history on the planet. In this history, we have advanced from general hunter-gatherers to becoming more specialized after the agricultural revolution. This has allowed us to begin addressing questions further up our pyramid of needs (Maslow). To become master of one domain and seek the questions that are core to its being. In this specialization, each field deals with an increasingly specific range of questions. Artists may be more interested in exploring and expressing the mysteries and complexities that cannot be fully explained while natural scientists seek to find explanations for the phenomena they study through empirical data and logical reasoning. Both approaches are important for gaining a deeper understanding of the world around us and for finding meaning in our experiences. However, the specific focus and methods of these two fields can differ significantly, as they each have their own unique goals and ways of approaching the natural world. 

So, which is more important to artists and natural scientists: what can be explained or what cannot be explained? It is first essential to define what exactly “important” means in this context. When determining the importance of a question we must consider the resources required to seek its explanation. The man-hours spent on a question, the cost of such an exploration, and any political and social capital backing a query. But important does not mean value based on scarcity but of what is most of essential to expanding our collective knowledge. In this case, understanding and explaining the world is considered important because it helps us to gain a deeper understanding of the world around us and our place in it. This understanding can be important for a variety of reasons, such as helping us to make informed decisions, solve problems, and find meaning in our experiences. And here we see the second piece of diction significant to the prompt. To be able to explain something is to have some level of understanding. So, in relation to artists and natural scientists what holds more value, the questions we understand or cannot? Furthermore, when describing something we cannot understand this relates not to whether the tools are available to produce a satisfactory result but if theoretically an answer could ever be produced that could be tested scientifically. Going into the semantics of these terms is necessary for addressing the question (as is so often the case in Theory of Knowledge) for the answer is guided by the question’s subtext.  

With this newfound understanding of our questions, I can state my claim as follows: We base importance on pragmatism when it comes to knowledge so the answer depends on the area of study. In art, we seek to understand the unknown so what cannot be explained is of higher priority, whereas in the natural sciences, we value what we can know for certain and therefore explain. The importance of the explainable or unexplainable depends on what is most useful. It is dependent on the type of question each field strives to answer. Natural sciences seek to explain our natural world by finding answers through experimentation and do not touch the philosophical. Therefore in this field what can be explained is of greater value.  

Music is one area of the arts in which our exploration of the human experience is most clear. Frank Sinatra’s 1979 song “New York, New York” written for another piece of art (the film of the same name ) exemplifies how we use art to understand the unexplainable. The song "New York, New York" speaks to themes of determination and perseverance, with the lyrics "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." Celebrating the city of New York with the lyrics, "It's up to you, New York, New York." The song may also evoke feelings of nostalgia, as it harkens back to a specific time and place in American history. These themes come together to create a powerful and uplifting anthem that celebrates the spirit and energy of New York City. The ambition and longing for greatness in the song is possibly the strongest angle from which to approach this piece from. This idea of the American spirit in connection with the city itself and the ambition on display cannot be explained from a scientific angle however through art we may begin to understand. Art as an area of knowledge has changed throughout the millennia and has transformed from a tool to primarily make imagery from religious texts real to mastering life-like representation to share environments and people oceans away, but at the beginning of the 20th-century art moved less realistic leaning into the impressionist, before turning expressionist and surreal. So in the last century, the knowledge art has provided us has been less and less based on hard facts or served as reporting history, instead, it has served as a greater exploration of the artist's mind. We then are able to relate and project our own meaning into the artist's work. Coming around to Frank Sinatra when we listen to “New York, New York” we may think of our own dreams and desires—never mind if we strive to live in a city the idea of ambition is core to the human spirit and especially in America core to our culture. We cannot explain where ambition comes from besides shaky evo-psych answers and certainly cannot explain how this ties in with our nostalgia and love of place. These abstract feelings are made real in our conscious experience as human people but could not be explained by science. Science cannot explain feelings in the way that we interpret and form our identities along these lines. We may understand how dopamine is released but this does not explain how we form an identity from love; while phycology may begin to loosely understand it the individual experience cannot be “solved”. The traits and desires core to the human experience remain constant as we continuously search for answers. Art is useful as we see our fellow humans searching with us and we may in consuming and creating art begin to understand some of our ambition, love, and humanity as fits our lives. 

These abstract notions of emotion and the great depths of philosophy do not however fit in the practical world of natural science. In the natural sciences experimentation is a given, and replicability is essential as the knowledge created must be sound. Take for instance how we use physics, specifically aerodynamics to test cars. Take for example the Mercedes-AMG Petronas wind tunnel located in Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom. It is a state-of-the-art facility that is used to test and develop the aerodynamic performance of the team's Formula One car. A wind tunnel is an essential tool in the design and optimization of the team's race cars, as the aerodynamic performance of the car can greatly impact its speed and handling on the track. The team runs tests and compiles thousands of terabytes of data throughout a season. The engineers are working to create the most efficient surfaces and create the best car possible through these trials. Everything is tested hundreds of times and simulations in the thousands. The repetition is to find the most effective solution to the team’s problems. The engineers are asking questions that have solid answers, and it is their job to find them. Everything to know about their car is in the data, everything can be explained. This is of supreme importance in creating the best race car—which they have done consistently in the past decades succeeding as the most powerful force in recent history—but also in their road car division. This testing is equally valuable for the road cars Mercedes sells in the millions. Both the data collected, and tools created for the motorsport is applicable to the car brand itself. So the explainable–the numbers and physical world–is far and away the more important to natural scientists. Natural sciences is focused on how we interact with the natural world so understanding this environment allows us to make better tools which is what we find most useful in this field, in this case, cars. 

While once upon a time artists were interested more in what could be explained as they documented their traditions such as in cave paintings where great hunts are depicted in the modern era artists are less of record keepers than was previously the case. When they worked for the Church painting and sculpting on commission the art being made held a different value, not in the artist’s life which defines the culture of the past two centuries. The practice cannot be equated or evaluated against itself as the perspective is so radically different. Art of the distant past serves a radically different purpose far removed from the practice today even if using the same medium so at the time “explaining” religious text through painting was more valuable and therefore more important as the painter was held to the church’s purse. 

Determining the importance of the unexplainable versus what can be explained is relevant as it determines what field we spend the most time and money on. Currently, STEM fields in the natural sciences and mathematics get the most attention, praise, funding, and a strange alienation has occurred in the humanities. Universities and the government are investing more in STEM as we have begun to forget questions of humanity. Skills in the philosophical, arts, and histories are being taught less and less while being looked down upon by a younger generation who has begun to view these studies as meaningless. This reflects what our society finds useful, valuable, and important. At this moment in time what can be explained through STEM is valued as most important and what cannot is left in the past with the Ancient Greeks. There is immense value in what cannot be explained as our society greatly depends on these studies, but this I save for another time.

Works Cited 

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https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/news/2021/06/f1-explained-wind-tunnel-everything-you-need-know/.  

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https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1126746-2,00.html.  

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https://www.britannica.com/art/Renaissance-art.  

Sinatra, Frank. “New York New York.” Vision 21 OMP.