Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Week 1: Two Cultures


In "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution" by Charles Percy Snow, “two cultures” can be identified as those of literary intellectuals and natural scientists. Personally, the phenomenon of two cultures has considerably influenced my academic pursuit. The clean and unnatural separation between the two cultures has always been urging me to make a choice between them.

When I was in high school, there were only two options for every student: all art classes or all science classes. We were by no means allowed to take history with physics. At that point, I felt like we, 15-year-old students, were suddenly asked to make a decisive choice on our future study and even career. Finally, I chose to take science classes. Later on, I found out that I had been so optimistic to think that I could keep on studying music on my own while taking science courses at school. It turned out that the school courses were so intense and overwhelming that I could barely spare the time to play the piano. I guess this is what CP Snow said about the problem of curricula of schools.

(from Google Images)
Now I am studying at a university, and although the urge of choosing between the two cultures has alleviated, it still exists. Initially I planned to major in physics and music, but it did not take long for me to find out that the requisites for each major are so different, and I may need to suspend my graduation for this. Therefore, I finally decided to do something easier, which is majoring in physics and maths. Yes, I get back on the road of pure science again.

("Disney's Frozen - A Material Point Method For Snow Simulation")

However, I see people’s progress on closing the gap between the two cultures. For example, in Disney’s animation Frozen, physics plays an important part in simulating realistic snow, which is visually impressive. Also, when we look at the products around us, it is easy to tell that their structures and functions are based on science, while their appearances are based on arts. After all, arts and science have to be integrated in many fields.
(from Google Images)
Overall, to close the gap effectively, the society should try to remove established stereotypes, and educational organizations should review their systems. Last but not least, a person should set the aim to become a jack of all trades rather than a professional in a single field in order to be creative.



Sources

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. 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, 2000. Print.

Kelly, Kevin. “The Third Culture”, Science, 13 Feb 1998. Accessed 4 Apr 2017. Web.

Jason. “Making of Disney’s Frozen Snow Simulation”, CGMeetup, 21 Nov 2013. Accessed 4 Apr 2017. Web.

1 comment:

  1. I'm shocked that in high school you had to pick between art and science. That further proves that CP Snow was right that schools and universities are part of the reason for divide between these two cultures. I really liked that you added the piece about Frozen. It is a really well know movie and it really helps to back what you are saying.

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