Walter
Isaacson’s book The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution is an informative story not only about the
science of the digital revolution but the artistic side as well. As he introduces those who influenced the movement,
Isaacson notes the frequent intersections of art and science in the quest.
One example
is J. C. R. Licklider, a man who might well be called the father of the
Internet. Both thoughtful and playful,
Licklider began referring to his vision with the “intentionally grandiloquent”
phrase “the Intergalactic Computer Network.” He often spent hours just studying the brush
strokes of paintings in order to understand the artist better.
Isaacson notes,
“[He] felt that his love of art made him more intuitive. He could process a
wide array of information and sniff out patterns. Another attribute, which
would serve him well when he helped put together the team that laid the
foundations for the Internet, was that he loved to share ideas without craving
credit for them.”
Licklider
saw computers not has artificial intelligences that would replace humans but as
tools to enhance and expand human creativity and decision-making skills
Like Steve
Jobs and others whose imaginations gave birth to the wonders of the digital
age, Licklider understood that the humanities and technology inform and enrich
one another. We should not have to
choose between the two. This is a “both/and”
rather than an “either/or” situation.
As educators
put more emphasis on STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics), they might consider adding another letter and addressing STEAM
(science, technology, engineering, ARTS, and mathematics) subjects in order to
develop a truly creative generation of leaders.
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