Infinity - Arts and Cognitive Sciences

Arts and Cognitive Sciences

Perspective artwork utilizes the concept of imaginary vanishing points, or points at infinity, located at an infinite distance from the observer. This allows artists to create paintings that realistically render space, distances, and forms. Artist M. C. Escher is specifically known for employing the concept of infinity in his work in this and other ways.

Cognitive scientist George Lakoff considers the concept of infinity in mathematics and the sciences as a metaphor. This view is based on the basic metaphor of infinity (BMI), defined as the ever-increasing sequence <1,2,3,...>.

Read more about this topic:  Infinity

Famous quotes containing the words arts and, arts, cognitive and/or sciences:

    I should say that the most prominent scientific men of our country, and perhaps of this age, are either serving the arts and not pure science, or are performing faithful but quite subordinate labors in particular departments. They make no steady and systematic approaches to the central fact.... There is wanting constant and accurate observation with enough of theory to direct and discipline it. But, above all, there is wanting genius.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    If it were not for the intellectual snobs who pay—in solid cash—the tribute which philistinism owes to culture, the arts would perish with their starving practitioners. Let us thank heaven for hypocrisy.
    Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)

    Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive processes of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding.
    Loris Malaguzzi (20th century)

    Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense. The power of invention has been conferred by nature upon few, and the labour of learning those sciences which may, by mere labour, be obtained, is too great to be willingly endured; but every man can exert some judgment as he has upon the works of others; and he whom nature has made weak, and idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of critic.
    Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)