2 Cultures

As a psychology major with a passion for health/fitness and an interest in exploring music and the creative spirit, I have always been fascinated by the intersection of science and art. However, this week’s lectures made me think more deeply about the gap between the two cultures, as discussed by CP Snow in his famous lecture, "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution."


College campuses often perpetuate the stereotyping of the arts and the sciences through how they are organized physically. For example, the science departments are often located on one side of campus while the arts departments are on the other. This physical separation reinforces the idea that the two cultures are distinct and unrelated.



One reason for this separation may be that the current education system was conceived for a different age. As Snow notes, "The educational system was oriented toward training men for the classics, for law and for the church, but not for science." This orientation has created a system that values the humanities over the sciences, perpetuating the separation of disciplines. This is even evident on UCLA campus. I for example, as a psychology major, haven’t spent any time in the Herb Alpert School of Music.


Stereotypes also play a role in perpetuating the separation between the two cultures. As Snow explains, "Most scientists are uninterested in the arts, and most educated people are uninterested in science." This dichotomy creates a barrier between the two cultures, making it difficult to build a bridge between them.



To bridge this gap, we need to cultivate an interdisciplinary approach to education that values both the sciences and the arts. This approach should emphasize the importance of collaboration and communication between different disciplines. As Albert Einstein once said, "The greatest scientists are artists as well."




Citations: 


Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures ; and the Scientific Revolution. University Press, 1959. (Snow, 1959)


Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34, no. 2 (2001): 121–25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014. (Vesna, 2001)


Michaelis, Benjamin. The Daily Evergreen. Separation of art and STEM affects students. https://dailyevergreen.com/51139/culture/separation-of-art-and-stem-affects-students/ 


McLeish, Tom. The Wire. Science is Deeply Imaginative: Why is this treated as a secret? https://thewire.in/the-sciences/science-is-deeply-imaginative-why-is-this-treated-as-a-secret 



Amsen, Eva. Forbes. Sixty Years After “The Two Cultures” is Science Still Isolated From the Arts and Humanities?. https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaamsen/2019/05/10/sixty-years-after-the-two-cultures-is-science-still-isolated-from-the-arts-and-humanities/?sh=4e56a6151984 

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