The Arts Versus Science

“A civilised dialogue between the arts and sciences would be a marvellous thing, a takeover would not.” The Telegraph laments the rise of Darwinian analysis in the humanities. “Throughout the 20th century there were various attempts to explain away art’s power with the aid of this or that theory. Information theory, semiotics, social theories of various kinds – all had their day, and they weren’t entirely useless,” says Ivan Hewett. “But their grander claims have faded away, and my hunch – and hope – is that the present craze to apply evolutionary theatre to Shakespeare and Beethoven will fade, too.”