This is the fifth post in a series that I dedicate to the topic of improving ones skills by changing the way one looks at the world. It is inspired by a book called "How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci" by Michael Gelb, which shows that many principles we try to apply today were already know by the grand master of the Renaissance.

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Two more principles in Da Vinci's life result from his quest for learning. Although he worked hard to understand the world better every day, Leonardo concluded that he could not explain everything. He developed a tolerance towards ambiguity, paradox and uncertainty - something Michael Gelb calls "Sfumato" (translated as "Going up in smoke"). From that follows the second principle, a need for balance between art and science.

There is no such thing as objective facts. A theory or law is only valid until you can prove it wrong. From that follows a challenge for all scientists: You will never know whether you are entirely right. Building on an example I used before, Newton's theory is not wrong - it just doesn't apply to all instances of the world. That's what we know now because of quantum physics. Theories go up in smoke - and so will the human mind of people who can't accept a certain ambiguity. As much as we'd like to explain the universe, some things don't make sense and we won't be able to explore them all.

Da Vinci's paintings are full of those paradoxes and ambiguities. It was his way of expressing the things he could not explain with science. That is a lesson that can help us to overcome our urge to separate our world between the reality, business, hard facts and the fiction, art, and imagination. They are not opposites, but complements.

Letting our minds explore art of any form gives us a break from the challenges in our facts driven environment. Turning back to science afterwards, we might come up with new ideas and a fresh view on the world.

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Please share your comments and inputs (via comment function, twitter, e-mail, etc.). In my short write-ups I address topics that I am particularly interested in because they align with my values and beliefs. As such, they are always a reflection of my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. The only thing I am positive in that regard is that I do not have all the perspectives, all the knowledge, or all the facts - help me be better tomorrow.