What insights arise when a philosopher and a chemist collaborate to answer questions about truth and beauty? How do concepts of beauty help us discover scientific knowledge and inform our understanding of reality?
When scientists use aesthetic criteria in their scientific work, it can open new realms of discovery.
TWU philosophy professor Dr. Myron A. Penner, together with co-investigator and chemistry professor Dr. Amanda J. Nichols (Oklahoma Christian University), are researching how properties like beauty, simplicity, and elegance can communicate information that increases scientific understanding.
“Sometimes scientists will be struck by the aesthetic qualities of an object they are dealing with, whether that’s a theory, or an observation in the lab, or even a particular experimental process,” Dr. Penner, who teaches in TWU’s graduate MA in Interdisciplinary Humanities program and undergraduate philosophy courses, begins.
Take symmetry, for example. Symmetry is found in many fields of scientific inquiry, from cosmology down to molecular design.
“When you look at the properties of molecular structures,” Dr. Penner continues, “there’s an elegance and theoretical beauty in how molecular structures can be classified according to their symmetry properties and how those classifications explain how the molecule will behave in different conditions."
In this way, he indicates, a molecular structure can be a sort of “scientific work of art.”
“We are looking at how scientists engage different ‘scientific works of art’ in order to describe a science-informed model for how these ‘works of art’ communicate scientific information that can increase scientific understanding."
Molecular structure happens to be an area of expertise for Dr. Nichols, who has previously conducted research exploring the roles that aesthetic judgment played in the development of molecular models.
Now Drs. Nichols and Penner are seeking to understand what role artistic sensibilities play in supporting scientific inquiry.
“We are looking at how scientists engage different ‘scientific works of art’ in order to describe a science-informed model for how these ‘works of art’ communicate scientific information that can increase scientific understanding,” Dr. Penner describes.
Drawings, shapes, and models are often used to depict molecular compounds.
"One historical example we are investigating is the way chemists in the nineteenth century used geometric shapes as models for certain molecular compounds,” he illustrates. “Since at least the 6th century BC, mathematicians and philosophers were drawn to what came to be known as the five ‘platonic solids.’”
The platonic solids are shapes possessing such balance and harmony that they have inspired wonder and curiosity in mathematicians, scientists, and artists for centuries. As Penner explains, “These shapes, which include cubes and pyramids, are aesthetically pleasing and mathematically interesting because each surface plane has an identical size and shape.”
Could beauty, like that found in geometric shapes, help us to better understand scientific descriptions of the world that lies beyond what’s observed by the naked eye?
“Fast forward to the 19th century when chemists were developing ideas of how atoms bonded to form molecules,” Penner continues, “Some thought that the elegance of platonic shapes accurately depicted how atoms were connected to each other.”
“It turns out that in some cases, they were right."
The way that beauty can reveal scientific truth is what motivates Drs. Nichols and Penner in their research.
“When I first learned about molecular symmetry theory as an undergraduate and saw how the aesthetic features of a molecule explain chemical behavior, I was in awe of the theory, and like many chemists, struck by how beautiful molecules are,” Drs. Nichols remarked. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to think more deeply about molecular symmetry along with historians and philosophers of science.”
“We intend to find out if this science-informed model can provide new language and categories for describing how, in religious contexts, aesthetic judgments might communicate spiritually significant information that increases human understanding.”
What’s more, their investigation into scientific practices might help us better understand aspects of religion and spirituality as well. Drs. Nichols and Penner are keen to uncover how beauty conveys truth in other ways:
“Understanding how aesthetic qualities communicate information in one domain, such as science, might provide a model for describing how aesthetic qualities are perceived to communicate information in religious contexts,” they indicate.
“We intend to find out if this science-informed model can provide new language and categories for describing how, in religious contexts, aesthetic judgments might communicate spiritually significant information that increases human understanding.”
Their project, Beauty and Truth in Science and Religion, is a three-year (2023–2026) project funded by a Templeton Religion Trust grant ($250,910 USD) and involves a formal partnership with Oklahoma Christian University. They also have project collaborators at Point Loma Nazarene University, the University of Nottingham, Baylor University, and the University of British Columbia. The opportunity to apply for this funding was made possible by an earlier grant given by Bridging the Two Cultures of Science and the Humanities II, a project run by Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford, the UK subsidiary of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, with funding by Templeton Religion Trust and the Blankemeyer Foundation.
"Trinity Western University seeks to contribute a unique and valuable perspective that integrates faith and reason as part of high-quality research aimed at gaining a greater understanding of the world," Dr. Richard Chandra, associate provost of research, remarks "We are excited to see TWU faculty members engaging in interdisciplinary research that spans academic and international boundaries and are grateful to the support provided by the Templeton Religion Trust."
"Dr. Penner’s research is the type of work that addresses big questions and demonstrates the need to work across disciplines," Dr. Michael Wilkinson, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, adds. "We congratulate Dr. Penner for receiving this grant and the many opportunities that will come for sharing the findings more broadly."
The Beauty and Truth in Science and Religion project builds on builds on Drs. Penner and Nichols' previous work in philosophy of science. Since 2019 they've co-authored three articles on topics in the philosophy of chemistry. They expect that this project will result in at least three more peer-reviewed publications. Learn more about Dr. Penner's research here.
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