Applied Studies in the Arts and Sciences

I recently attended a meeting in the Netherlands on learning in the Arts and Sciences entitled Building the Scientific Mind with the following aims:

* identify important dimensions and attributes of the scientific mind, from the holistic perspective;
* determine the conditions that foster development of the scientific mind in multiple, both formal and informal settings;
* establish practical ways to improve and complement existing implicit and explicit efforts to develop the scientific mind;
* seek to approach the development of the scientific mind in a coherent manner, exploring the potentialities of multiple learning settings and moving beyond mere disciplinary approaches;
* pave the way to innovative interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in hitherto uncharted terrain regarding the above issues.

One of the participants, Frederico Major, the former Director-General of Unesco made the following statement:

"There can be no applied sciences without science to apply."

The same issue applies to the Arts. There can be no applied arts without the engaging, creative work of the arts itself. There will be nothing to apply if there are no places where art is practiced for its inherent value and not solely for the outcomes it is supposed to produce.