Saturday, April 4, 2015

Week 1: Two Cultures

Snow and other notable figures like Huxley and Brockman have contributed much thought to the notion that our society is in a state of disorder; more specifically, these figures have been concerned with the gradual creation of two separate cultures that have ceased to communicate—the scientists and the literary intellectuals. Although in Snow’s 1959 lecture “Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution” he defines the two cultures using a bold distinction between novelists like Shakespeare and physicists/chemists, while in Steven Pinker’s more recent interview he extends this idea with the subtle distinction and divide he says exists between social science and other science.  

As a psychology major at UCLA, this idea of two cultures really resonates with the confusion I have been experiencing for 4 years now. The physical North and South campus divide creates students that identify themselves as either in the Sciences or Arts and Humanities, with a powerful stigma towards the latter as being inferior and less intelligent. However, I have never been certain to which side I belong. Although I am more frequently in south campus, I have been told by other south campus majors psychology is not a true science. Further adding to the confusion is the fact I will graduate with not a Bachelor of Science but a Bachelor of Arts unlike other school’s psychology programs.  
Therefore, I believe my major puts me in a unique situation where I see both cultures come together and contribute to each other in complimentary ways, making me believe a third culture is possible. For example I read a book in my Social Psychology class by Daniel Gilbert who discusses how the development and success of the show’s Blues Clues and Sesame Street are a direct result of science and technology. Experimental studies were conducted using statistical programs, computers, and knowledge of the brain and attention to pinpoint what elements of the programs were most appealing and educational to children. Science informed art in this case and I hope we can create more examples of this in the future.















Citations: 
Brockman, John. The Third Culture. N.p.: n.p., 1995. Print.

Gilbert, Daniel Todd. Stumbling On Happiness. New York : Vintage, 2007.Print.

Holland, Norman. “Has Psychology Become One of the Humanities?” This Is Your Brain on Culture. Psychology Today, 13 May 2009. Web. 4 April 2015. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/is-your-brain-culture/200905/has-psychology-become-one-the-humanities

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Unknown. “Steven Pinker Two Cultures.” Online Video Clip. Youtube. 18 May 2010. Web. 4 April 2015.
 
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2 comments:

  1. Melinda WheelerApril 6, 2015 at 9:26 PM

    I, like yourself, often find myself caught in between the North vs. South Campus separation. I am a Business Economics major working toward my Bachelor of Arts. Although economics is normally considered a social science and most classes are in North campus, most economics majors that I have asked say that Economics lies in the middle. However, I am more than satisfied with residing in the middle because, like you said, it offers a unique perspective to see how both hard and soft sciences can contribute to a particular study.

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  2. UnknownApril 7, 2015 at 10:22 AM

    I loved your discussion of "Sesame Street" and "Blue's Clues". I thought that it was a great example of how science can be used to influence art. It also introduces a third area: business and marketing. By using different technologies to determine what art functions appeal to children, production companies can better advertise and sell their products. It's definitely interesting to see how science and art can be used for purposes other than simply exploration or enjoyment. I think that in this age and culture, money is a large motivating factor in both the arts and sciences

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