In
“Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution”, Snow introduced the concept of
two cultures as separated by literary intellectuals and natural sciences. He
contended that while literary intellectuals tend to view scientists as brash
and boastful, scientists on the other hand believe that non-scientists lack in
foresight. In particular, it was noted in lecture that the education system has
especially perpetuated these two distinctions. In fact, the UCLA campus has not
only distinguished the two fields theoretically but has also reinforced the
separations geographically. Known as “north” and “south” campus among the
students and faculty, north campus at UCLA houses the humanity majors while
south campus is the home of the science majors. In the same fashion that
exaggerated stereotypes are used to distinguish the two cultures in our society,
generalizations for the two “campuses” prevail among students. For example,
north campus students are often the better dressed and more “hipster” while
south campus students are known to be “nerds” who lack social skills.
However, true to Snow’s later suggestion that
a third culture would emerge to close the communication gap between the two. This phenomenon can be seen at both UCLA and my cultural identity. Despite the
strict distinction between north and south campus, majors like psychology are
considered to be in limbo, both geographically and theoretically. Although
categorized as Bachelor of Arts, it’s studies focuses on brain anatomy.
Moreover, the psychology building, Franz Hall is known to be the neutral ground
between the two “campuses”. On a more personal level, I found myself relating
to the third culture phenomenon as well. Born in Los Angeles but raised in Hong
Kong, I found myself moving between cultures. When visiting Hong Kong now, I
often faced the criticism that I am becoming too Americanized. On the flip
side, my American peers in the States often joke about my “Asianess”.
Previous
to this week’s lecture, I have always perceived culture as forms of art
such as music and dance. Much like Kelly’s assertion, science to me was always
a bit outside of the cultural center. Therefore, it is very intriguing to learn that the science field can be considered as a division of culture as well. Furthermore, it is also important to note
that the third culture has shown to be very beneficial to our society as said
in Kelly’s article. Medias such as television and museum are products of the
two cultures and it is hard to imagine daily life without these entertainment.
Sources:
Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures
and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New
York: Cambridge UP, 1961.
Print.
Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures:
And a Second Look. N.p.: n.p., 1963. Print.
"The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., 13 Feb. 1998. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/279/5353/992.full>.
UCLA. Photograph. n.p. Web. 5 April 2015. <gentlehugs.wordpress.com>.
Hong Kong Skyline. n.p. Web. 5 April 2015. <antiguopasalavida.com>.
Camera.01. Photograph. n.p. Web. 5 April 2015. <www.clipart-box.com>.
Television clip art. Photograph. n.p. Web. 5 April 2015. <seriesandmovies.net>.
I really liked how you bring up the fact that when we think of a culture we mostly think of things associated with art and a community of people, and I think that most people would not include science in that category. As mentioned in the readings however, science is part of a culture and this can be relates back to the lecture on society and economics. For example, how studying something that is seen as valuable like science is preferred because you are believed to have more opportunities for success while being able to help the economy and therefore contribute to society, so I agree with your ideas and like the point you bring up.
ReplyDeleteWoo! I really like how you argue that UCLA's North-South Campus setting enhance the separation between art and science. This is definitely a great example! It reminded me of my Management class TA, a second year MBA student at UCLA Anderson school. She once told me that she did not know any of the buildings/people outside the Anderson school and management departments. Our school may do better in fostering collaboration between art and science starting from reducing the physical barrier (separation) between the two fields. It is good that you also mention how UCLA has contributed to reduce this separation and listed great examples such as psychology, a in-between discipline between art and science. Overall, an enjoyable read! Just one suggestion, you may talk about other readings and perspectives instead of focusing too much on analyzing C.P. Snow's opinions.
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