Truth and Beauty! Aesthetics And Motivations In Science - S. Chandrasekhar

The relevance of beauty and aesthetic aspects as well as the beauty of harmony in natural laws is exemplified through illustrations found in different progress in physics. Obvious differences in the styles of creativity of different artists and scientists are described.  Although at the opposite extremes, there are subtle but considerable ways which are somewhat similar, and as the book Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science progresses, the realization that the two are similar in more ways than one becomes more and more evident.
 

Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science is basically a collection of lectures given by Chandrasekhar, a Nobel laurate astrophysicist.  The book consists of seven essays which were presented between 1946 and 1985. They are grouped into two sets. The first one is devoted to a discussion of aesthetics and motivation in search of the physical sciences. The other is some sort of a biography with a bit of discussion about the general theory of relativity.

The essays included in Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science give an insight on three topics. The first is the quest for beauty and truth in the theories of physics; the second is a comparative presentation on the similarities and differences in the creative style of the great historical, scientific, and artistic figures such as Newton, Beethoven, and Shakespeare; the third is a deeper look into the beauty of the general theory of relativity of Einstein. The author uses mainly science alone into going through these concepts. 

The world commonly associates beauty with the arts. In this book though, art was made to be seen in a scientific perspective. After reading Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science, many would realize that there really is no clear distinction between art and science. Though made to be seen as total contrasts, these two fields of study are interconnected.

Science coupled with art becomes aesthetically appealing, while art with a touch of science is more believable and logically appreciated. The aim of this book is to integrate the two and to prove to the world that these two giants of study can coexist harmoniously. All one has to do is to have an open mind for more profound truths and to be aware that beauty can be found in the absurd and unfathomable. 

Perhaps one of the strengths of this book is the clarity of the presentation of the lectures. In Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science, the author manages to dig deep in search of comparable aspects between artistic ambition and scientific progress. The essays are very personal, clearly reflecting the author’s perspective with regards to many scientific events over the years. A lot of critics say that what Chandrasekhar does in the book is mainly compile the great may scientific contributions and make personal critique about each. 

The last chapter, which is mostly based on the lectures of Karl Schwarzchild, deals mostly on general relativity. Most of the essays can be considered something of scientific value. For most critics, one of the most interesting parts of the book is the one devoted to Arthur Eddington. In this chapter, the author makes personal assessments of Eddington’s contributions and his share of failures. 

Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science tackles two fields of study and aims to integrate the two. It managed to intrigue the scientifically inclined as well as the creative and aesthetically inclined.