The existence of two cultures has fascinated me long before I knew about C.P Snow or his works. I've never quite understood why these cultures have to exist separately with people preferring one over the other. Being a Computer Science major, I probably lean more towards the natural science culture. But at the same time, I absolutely adore literary and cultural sciences and am able to quote my favorite Robert Frost poems with ease.
The start of my favorite poem.
Although you would think a great University like UCLA would actively work to bridge the gap between these two cultures and lead us into a third, more advanced culture; the opposite happens. UCLA's campus is divided into the more literary 'North Campus' and the more scientific and technical 'South Campus'. While furthering the divide between these cultures may not have been the goal while designing this campus, it certainly feels like this has been the outcome.
Organizations unwittingly furthering the divide between the cultures.
Before reading C.P Snow and Victoria Vesna's works, I hadn't realized that the two cultures had such a wide gulf separating them. I've always viewed the world as a mixture of these cultures, with each side adopting techniques and qualities of the other. For example, the artistic and linguistic culture adopting new technology has led to the development of the modern entertainment industry. The scientific community adopting modern literary techniques has led to more people being educated about the sciences as the language becomes more simplistic.
The miracles art and technology create together.
I feel like the world has already transitioned and we no longer live in a world with such a wide cultural gap. Everyone (except perhaps, educational institutions) has realized that all of our lives are a combination of both scientific and artistic cultures and we must be well educated in both these fields to truly achieve a higher level of understanding about the universe and the people around us.
Sources:
- Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.
- Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.
- Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York, New York, 2000. Print.
- Changing Education Paradigms. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, 14 Oct. 2010. Web <http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U>.
- Bohm, D. "On Creativity." JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.
