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Posted at: Wed Jun 2 02:58:16 2004 (GMT)

   I disagree with the statement above. Art and science are important to a
   country but business is even more important. There has to be a balance in
   these to maintain a healthy society.
   
   Art plays an important role in society. It gives freedom to thought process
   of individuals. It is the focal point of society. If we scan the history we
   can guess the state of society by judging the art of that era. Art is
   nothing but creativity and every society should nurture it. A country, where
   there is not much encouragement to art, is definitely missing a lot in terms
   of healthy society. Art can be diverse in terms of manifestation and taste.
   Performing art entertain people and visual art give new prospective to the
   way we look the world. World and society always looks different from
   artist’s eye. Literature can keep us glued to reality at one end and
   elevate us to the zenith of imagination at other. The power of art can never
   be ignored.
   
   Science is the building block of society. In day-to-day life we apply
   science knowingly or unknowingly at every step. Anything we touch is an
   application of science. From humble bulb in our houses to the car we drive
   to office everything is driven by science. Without proper scientific
   research we can’t survive in future. Cutting edge medical research has
   kept us fit and healthy. Research in molecular biology has opened up new
   vistas for us. Space science is being applied to day-to-day life to make it
   more comfortable. We can’t just tick-off the importance of scientific
   progress to the progress of a nation.
   
   Well, we can’t ignore business progress as well. Art and science has to
   deliver value at the end of the day in some way and there comes business.
   Converting an idea to a viable business is in itself an art. Research in any
   field consumes time and resource. The incubation period can to be very high.
   A simple medicine takes years to travel from laboratory to chemist’s shop.
   And to keep these researches viable we need money and it comes from
   business. Without proper funding art and science might not be able to
   survive for long. Economic progress is very vital to society. Unless general
   public is properly fed and looked after, creativity is difficult to come. In
   desperation human can rub another human, but can’t write a master piece. 
   
   The best example in this direction is USA. It has been the breeding ground
   for art for many decades. It’s the breeding ground for science as well.
   Every year, majority of Noble prize winners in the field of science are from
   USA. Most of these scientists belong to universities which are funded by
   government or private companies. Art is highly visible in USA and it has
   been possible because of government support and funding. In almost all the
   cities across US, we can find score of museums, art houses etcetera. And
   there is no doubt that US is numero-uno in business. It’s the wealthiest
   country. Government funding actually comes from general public and business
   in the form of tax. Without a sustaining economy government or private body
   can’t support the art and science.
   
   So to summarize it, art and science are important to country beyond any
   doubt. But at the same time economic progress is even more important as it
   supports the art and scientific endeavors.

Posted at: Tue Jul 24 00:32:02 2007 (GMT)