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Wired Magazine currently has an article on “Revenge of the Right Brain” claiming that left brain activities have recently brought success in the “information age” and a recent shift will mean that the combination of creativity and logic are needed in the future with so many activities being automated or otherwise decreasing in importance.

I disagree completely.

I think as a Ph.D. scientist, most people would qualify me as a “left brain type.”

I also think that the truly top of science, and indeed most of the “left brain” activities mentioned by Wired, including programming, accounting, management, and of course scientific research has always included individuals who successfully combined creativity with analysis, logic, and knowledge.

For example, Roald Hoffmann, a Nobel laureate here at Cornell writes poetry and organizes Sunday cabaret sessions called “Entertaining Science” at the Cornelia Street Café in New York City. He researches theoretical chemistry, but combines a true spark to suggest truly unusual chemistry.

Also in chemistry, another laureate, Robert Woodward was awarded “for his outstanding achievements in the art of organic synthesis.” It may be an under-appreciated art, but chemists do look at many of Woodward’s synthetic achievements as beautiful and amazing works.

It’s not just the logical side of our brains which drives truly great scientific research. The best work manages to combine a truly novel idea with proof and solid, logical work. Furthermore, the top scientists have the ability to accurately describe and teach their research — adding great speaking and writing abilities — and in these days of PowerPoint presentations, a knack for painting a picture truly worth a thousand words.

Even areas like programming, which might seem like a solely left-brain activity, requires true creativity and craft at the highest level. The ability to step back and see the whole picture, start at a blank slate and create new programs is akin to writing a novel or great book.

In the Renaissance, artists were often scientists and vice versa. Is Leonardo Da Vinci forgotten?

If there’s any revenge of the right brain, it’s not new. If you want to truly succeed, you can’t lean on only half you brain — learn to combine artistry with analysis.