Science and the liberal arts can benefit from one another if scientists turn more humbly towards the arts and artists throw away their misconceptions about science.

Before the above consensus was reached, however, more than 20 top scientists and novelists in China talked, debated and, at times, quarreled for three days in the coastal city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province last month.

At the invitation of the Ocean University of China, which is celebrating its 80th birthday, these two once-insular elite circles had a chance to sit together and voice their perspectives on each other's work.

"This is the first time so many scientists and novelists have met together to discuss the future of their respective areas," said Guan Huashi, an oceanologist and president of the university. "We expect sparks of thought and idea to arise from such cross-disciplinary discussion."

And he did see sparks burst out when a writer and a scientist quarreled over whether science has made humans happier than previous times.

Zhang Ping, a well-known writer, best known for his novels exploring various social issues that contemporary Chinese - common people as well as officials - encounter in their daily life, argued that science has brought humans disasters such as environmental pollution and broken the idyllic peace of pre-modern society.

Liang Changhong, a scientist studying electronics, countered that people nowadays, including writers, enjoy the convenience and comforts brought about by science in almost every aspect of their life.

The discussion, intended by the university to foster a better aura of cross-disciplinary exchange on campus, began the first day when writers and scientists spoke of their impression and understanding of each other's work. Both sides showed willingness to learn, and the attending scientists, in particular, expressed their interest and, at times, zest, for the arts and literature.

Wang Meng, one of China's best known writers, delivered a keynote speech elaborating on the difference between the two areas of human knowledge.

He said science has been something missing from Chinese history. "For quite a long period of time in history, science did not have the chance or space to grow and develop in China," he said.

Liberal arts have more to do with intuition while science is primarily based on logic, he said.

Science may be good for humans but not necessarily so for liberal arts. "Science has ruined romanticism and fairy tales," he bemoaned. "Nobody will believe in the goddess on the moon."

The Chinese population needs to be more open-minded about science, as the country is still in a backward state and development is its top priority, he added.

The second day saw sparks flare up when a couple of attending writers, including Zhang, said they were scared of science, which they said has such overwhelmingly huge and potential disastrous power.

Chen Zufen, a writer from Shanghai, particularly noted the emergence of the Internet has made people more solitary and even sabotaged human relations.

"Searching online seems to have become a necessity in life like eating and sleeping," she complained. "Life has become as simple as a click of the mouse."

She said people's privacy has been exposed online in a way unseen before and shared by each online surfer. "Our life has become controlled by the Internet, not by ourselves," she said.

Wang, who said he has many scientist friends, shared his view that artists and writers should depart from their fear of science.

Fear often arises out of ignorance, he said.

Instead of being scared of science, artists should be scared of their ignorance of science, he said.

Qin Boyi, a scientist who has written several books on science popularization, agreed with Wang, adding that scientists have also acquired inspiration from liberal arts.

"It is not uncommon that many top-notch scientists have a good understanding and knowledge about arts and literature," he said. "Einstein was a big fan of classical music and played the violin quite well."

The liberal arts, which are based on intuition and aesthetics, may stimulate scientists to think differently, which is the key to a major discovery or invention, he said.

"Scientists should be more humble towards the arts and literature if they wish to make big things happen," he said.

(China Daily November 16, 2004)