Week 1: Two Cultures

Science and art combined is a powerful force

On campus, the humanities and sciences divide is very pronounced. Though not as equally important to every student, there exists this imaginary competition between North and South campus, with South campus hailing as the victor of the more difficult majors. As C.P. Snow claimed, educational institutions establish and fortify a separation of the two cultures. I also believe that society reinforces the idea that the humanities and sciences are inherently unequal and disconnected and that science is the superior of the two. Likewise, parents push their kids to pursue a career in STEM and oftentimes bear sour feelings towards humanity and art majors.

Left(methodical) vs. right(creative) debate

Being a political science major, I never felt inferior, but somehow society told me to. I felt distant from the sciences, but I observed a few overlapping elements. While I acknowledge the higher degree of intensity and complexity of the various fields of science, both disciplines form hypotheses, use coding programs, and look at data to have a greater understanding of the world. Contrary to what the education system constructs, a complete separation of the humanities and sciences have never been apparent to me as I always thought that these fields coexist and complement each other in order to produce an attempt at grasping this idea of life. Steven Pinker articulated it best when he stated, “Humanities, in conjunction with the rest of intellectual life, including science and philosophy could shed enormous light on the human predicament.” Pinker’s idea was that our understanding of art and music can be enhanced by the science of color and sound respectively and that there are so many more connections as such.

The problem with the education system 

            As I prepare for a future career in education policy and child development, I enjoyed the lecture video about changing education paradigms. The outdated factory-like education system that has been pumping out batches of similar-minded students need to undergo major reform. The elementary school I currently work at attempts to reconstruct the system by addressing and accommodating the differences in learning styles and personalities of each student. They also introduce the ideas of mental health and accountability, but most importantly, they gear the students up for this third culture of technology that Kevin Kelly speaks of. I believe that is how education should be; evolving and adjusting to the times. I hope to one day make a difference in the lives of children and in the way they perceive knowledge and their self-worth.

Beautyandtruth09. “SEE MAGAZINE.COM Two Cultures Steven Pinker.” Online video clip.        YouTube. YouTube, 18 May 2010. Web. 6 April 2019.

Kelly, Kevin. "The third culture." Science 279.5353 (1998): 992-993.

RSA. “RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms.” Online video clip. YouTube.                                   YouTube, 14 October 2010. Web. 11 April 2019.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959.          Print. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture Part II: Stereotypes.” Web. 11 April 2019.