For a long time, I've expended a great deal of energy in a quest to clarify my relationship to the disciplines of science and art. I love both, but had the feeling that they must be incompatible; that I should somehow make a choice between the two. After years of grinding my wheels on the subject, it finally became clear to me what now seems obvious: that each discipline is simply a different way of understanding reality, and that both views are equally legitimate, necessary, and important. In fact, an individual or society that does not learn to balance these two modes of understanding is probably doomed to a less-than-satisfactory existence.

For me MINDPORT is, among other things, both a laboratory and a gallery where I explore this intriguing process of balancing the analytical, intellectual and rational, against the playful, imaginative and artistic.

The message here is my wish that our society as a whole might begin to relinquish its death grip on control-oriented technological rationality, in favor of a view which equally values art, spontaneity, and imagination. Failing that, I at least hope that MINDPORT's visitors absorb something of the spirit of fun which has motivated the creation of our exhibits.

If the ideas which lead me to participate in the creation of MINDPORT interest you, please take a look at the material below. Be forewarned that it's not necessarily light reading. But I welcome questions, dialogue, or whatever, on this subject, or any other.

I'll be adding to this page from time to time, so please check back again. Please email me at: kevinmp1[at]pentachron.com.

Ideas:
-Personal History: Science vs. Art
-Mindport History: Thinking Out Loud about Science, Art, and Human Values
-What's in a Sound
-Mindport Themes and Educational Values
-Damn the Computers
-Mindporty Things
-The Quality of Attention
-Weathering the Storm
-Revisit: What is Mindport?

Digital Photography:
-Recent images

Amateur Radio

Recommended Reading:
The Spell of the Sensuous - Abram, David
Evolution, biology, culture
Highly recommended. An exploration of our instinctive and evolutionary relationship with the earth and the natural world.

Sympathetic Vibrations: Reflections on Physics as a Way of Life - Cole, K.C.
Science, Education
A good book to inspire the layperson's interest in physics and science.

The Reenchantment of the World - Berman, Morris
Science, history
Our present scientific view of the world has dangerously skewed our perceptions in such a way that we forget our humanity and the magical aspects of existence. The book traces the development of this world view and suggests new directions for our thinking.

The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems - Capra, Fritjof - date/publisher
Science, biology, evolution
This book is a fine overview of the advances in thinking about biological systems over the last 15-20 years. It covers quantum physics and complexity theory as applied to biological systems.

Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition - Wendell Berry
Art
From the notes: "Berry insists that religion and art are not subject to the reductionist and materialistic assumptions of modern science, and cannot be contained within its boundaries or explained by its explantions."

-More readings...