Are the Arts still relevant in the age of technology and science? Discuss.

The Arts may be broadly defined as any field of study or recreation that is remotely related to aesthetical enjoyment and appreciation that appeal to emotional thought or the aesthetics such as ballet or other dance performances, poetry and literature and its work forms, literal artistic pursuits such as painting and art appreciation or artistic activities such as sculpturing or pottery. In a world that is rapidly undergoing reformation by vast technological advancements, many believe that the Arts will eventually give way to the crushing rate at which technological gadgets - such as computers, the Internet and the many i-products produced by Apple - are evolving and transforming the way humans have lived life for thousands of years before the term Apple meant anything else other than the good old fruit which was believed to have been placed above the fictitious William Tell's head.

Technological advancements has startlingly replaced and transformed many facets of human lives especially appealing to the young who are savvy with technology and its many snazzy functions and inventions. Many may consider Shakespeare to be an irrelevant playwright and are befuddled by the seemingly absurd reasons for why the Bard should be thus revered in comparison to smart phone gaming applications which seem more interesting and exciting by far. Indeed, the Singapore education system had considered abandoning the study of Shakespearean plays altogether in the early twenty-first century. Books seem to have been replaced by the endless inception of computer games and other equally sophisticated online, web and gaming applications available today. For instance, many today would rather surf the Internet than sit through what they consider to be a tortuously boring ballet performance, although few aesthetically minded individuals may beg to differ. The fast-paced life that many lead in the world today simply does not bode well for the Arts scene as many of the Arts-related performances tend to be slow-paced and apt to be enjoyed by those who are aesthetically inclined or who have the time and patience to ruminate over themes which musicals such as Les Miserables try to convey or what meaning the painting Starry Night conceals behind its artistic representation conceived by Van Gogh. Hence it is certainly true that technological advancement has sadly taken over the aesthetic appreciative instincts or interests of humans, making the Arts seemingly irrelevant, satisfying instead the inner cravings for excitement of the human soul that loathes the boredom of slow-paced activities generally associated with excessively 'arty' performances.

Many consider the world and appreciation of the Arts to be irrelevant in the world that is so dominated by science and technology today. Indeed, mathematics and science are given greater emphasis in Singapore's education system due to the more pragmatic and 'saleable' natures of these disciplines. We deal with mathematical sums and scientific laws on a daily basis as these functions are all around us. Take for instance, a visit to the neighbourhood wet market which necessitates basic mathematical knowledge and calculations rather than knowledge of themes and characterisation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the practical, fast-paced world, scientific truths such as knowledge of what medicines are considered more essential and advanced medical knowledge or even simple truths such as knowing the dangers of how water is a good conductor of electricity may save lives. By contrast, aesthetic appreciation of operatic songs or musicals pales in comparison with the pragmatism of scientific theories in the world today.

Truly, the evolution of modern technology have transformed and revolutionised the lives of humans, literally taking the world by storm. Since the advent of the twentieth century when communicative tools such as pagers and bulky desktop computers were invented, humankind has embraced technological changes with a hungry passion. Nearly every working adult in Asia would clip a pager to his belt or keep one in her handbag. Increasingly, other aspects of the Arts such as ballet and poetry appreciation were generally regarded to be boring and lacking in innovation compared to the multi-functional appeal of technology which quickly evolved. However, does the ability to surf the Internet or play games on the smart phone replace the need of the human soul to seek solace in the comfort of reading a good old poem about death for example? The answer is no, it does not. After all, there may be seasons in one's life when one needs to read about similar emotions of grief and loss expressed by another human being. No matter how advanced the technological age becomes, nothing touches the human soul as much as Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est or Siegfried Sassoon's Suicide in the Trenches. This is especially so when one seeks to understand the gross horrors of war which have been depicted in illuminating detail in these war poems. Like the old adage goes, "a picture paints a thousand words". It is quite likely that no amount of advanced technology will ever be able to match the aesthetic beauty represented by a work of art by the talented Pable Picasso's Guernica or Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper.

Inasmuch as the Arts does seem to take second place compared to the world of science and technology, the world would do well to remember Gandhi's wise words: "We must not have commerce without morality, science without humanity and knowledge without character". Although science and technology may have taken paramount emphasis in recent years, the world will become a cold, hard place if the ability to appreciate and learn about morality through art subjects like Literature is lost; the words that convey humanity and the ability to empathise inspired by novels, poems, musicals and plays are forgotten and glimpses of cherished literary archetypal protagonists and heroes such as Cordelia's veracity in King Lear and Proctor's struggle in The Crucible for honour are disregarded. The ability to connect with our inner selves, our emotions and indeed, the ability to express them, can only be found in the very soul of the Arts and its appreciation, contrary to what many critics and advocates for mathematics and the sciences may claim. It is therefore critical that the Arts remain a vibrant element in the fundamental cornerstone in the education and aesthetic landscape of Singapore presently and in time to come.