Ifwelivedinaworldwithoutliterature,learningonlythesciences,wouldwebethesamepeople?Doesthehumanraceneedliteratureatall,doesithaveanyworthwhatsoeverexceptasentertainment?Dopeopleactuallylearnfromliterature?Theseareallquestionsthatdividethehumanraceintotwoseparatesections,thosewhobelieveinthepowerofliterature,andthosewhoseeitasimpoverishedcomparedtothesocialsciencesinitsabilitytoteachusaboutourselves.Howeverweneednotbesodividedonthisissue.Literatureisasrichateacherasscience,butmerelydiffersintechnique.Literatureoffersknowledgetothosethatseekit,givesexperiencetothosewhounderstandit,andpleasuretothosethatloveit.Scienceontheotherhandimpartsknowledge,leadstoexperience,andgivespleasuretothefewwholoveit.
LiteratureisjustasvariedandexpansiveasScienceis.Therearehundredsofstyles,millionsofauthors,andthousandsoflanguageswhichmakeupliterature.Insteadofdifferentfields,asinscience,therearedifferentgenres.Literatureisoftenbackedupbyresearchorfirsthandinformation,butcanalsobefancifulflightsoftheimagination.Theyaresimilartotheresearch,observation,andhypothesisfoundinscience.Experimentscanbeperformedinboth.Ascientistcouldaskwhatif,andlogicallyandscientificallyfollowhiswhatifthrough.Awritercouldaskthesameandusehisimagination,knowledge,andperhapsalittleresearch,toguidehisimagination.LiteratureandSciencearesimilar.
Howevertheydifferinsomeimportantrespects.Scienceisanexactrealmofnumbersandaveragesandmeasurements.Thelasttimeyoureadaromancenovel,weretherechartsshowingtheFreudianpredictionoftheaveragepersonslovelife?LiteraturedoesnothavethesamekindofexactitudethatisofferedbyScience.Butitdoesofferprecisioninanotherway.Literatureoftenisthedescriptionofoneorafewpeopleslivesindetail.Itisfromthesedetailed"casestudies"asascientistwouldcallthem,thatwecanlearn.Itistheargumentofsciencethatpeoplearesimilarandthusscientificaveragesdohavesomerelevancetohumans.Yespeopleoftendosharesimilarcharacteristics,andbehavesimilarlyifcomingfromthesamesociety.Andthus,adetailedinsightintoonepersons'lifecouldgiveyouaninsightonthelivesofothers.
InawayLiteratureallowsyoutolivethousandsoflivesinashorttime,andgainalittleexperiencefromeachofthem.Scienceontheotherhand,offersyouchartsandtablestowhichyoumustapplythesituationsofdailylife.Itisinthisfundamentalwaythatliteratureandsciencearedifferent.Literatureoffersyouinsightwhichyouapplytolife,inscience,youapplylifetoyourtheories.It'sjustamatterofwhetherlifeisthecookiecutterorthedough.
Imagineaworldwithoutliterature.AllyourLiteraturecoursesinschoolarereplacedwithsocialsciences:philosophy,psychology,etc.Wouldpeoplebethesame?Nodoubtlifewouldbeagreatdeallessinteresting,asourmindswouldnotbeasstimulated.Theworldwouldalsobeamoreclosedplace,andnews,andhistorywouldseemlessrelatedandmoredistant.Why?Becausesciencesdonotshowyouwhatsomethingislike,thedescribeit.Forexample,ifsciencewantedtodescribeahitandrunitwouldsay"Yesterday,7/15/96,one5'4Caucasianofbirthdate3/16/70,wascontactedbyarapidlymovingmultialloycompoundintheformofaredco
