In The Two
Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, Snow identifies two groups of
people, those who study the humanities, and those who study the sciences.
Instead of communicating with each other, the groups keep their knowledge to
themselves, which further separates them.
From an early age, I sensed this division. My parents, who are
both engineers, have always implied that artistic pursuits should just be
hobbies, and I should focus on scientific pursuits. For example, my father gave up his dream
of becoming a musician to pursue a career in chemical engineering. At UCLA,
the division is as explicit as north and south campus.
In Toward a Third Culture, Professor Vesna identifies a third, upcoming culture of
contemporary artists who are bridging the divide between the humanities and
sciences. Evidence of this new culture can be seen at UCLA through interdisciplinary courses like this class, as well as majors like Psychobiology. This is rare in public elementary, middle, and high schools, where art programs are often the first to be cut, despite evidence that early music and arts training can enhance brain development (Brown). Unicamp, UCLA's official charity, has recognized the need for this group. This summer, I'm participating in the STEAM session, which has the mission of exposing children to the intersection of the arts and sciences.
Kevin Kelly points out in The Third Culture that technology makes bridging the gap easier and faster. For example, my father still pursues music on the side, now using YouTube to instantly share his covers.
As more people incorporate technology into their everyday lives, the usability of technological products become even more important. Even though I’m starting as a software engineer,
I plan on transitioning to user experience (UX), which Google identifies in its job posting as "the synthesis of design and development". It is especially
important in this role to collaborate and communicate with designers, who
create the interface, and engineers, who build the product.
Brown, Laura L. "The Benefits of Music Education." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.
Cover I Know I'm Not the Only One by Sam Smith. Perf. Bei-Shen Sywe. YouTube, 24 Dec. 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
"Google Careers." UX Engineer, Design. Google, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2015.
Kelly, K. "ESSAYS ON SCIENCE AND SOCIETY:The Third Culture." Science279.5353 (1998): 992-93. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
Snow, C. P., and Roman Smoluchowski. "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution." Physics Today 14.9 (1961): 62. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
STEAM Graphic. Digital image. Manatee County. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
UX Venn Diagram Graphic. Digital image. Code Zen. N.p., 19 Nov. 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121- 25. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
Hi Abby!
ReplyDeleteI liked the story of your dad, who while pursuing a career in engineering, did not give up his love for music. You seem to have taken after your dad with your interest in the Steam Session. While I just recently learned just how dependent science and art are on each other to thrive, you have been using their similarities to your advantage. Many people are categorized as either left-brain or right-brain people, or artistic or literally intellectuals, yet few people realize that many citizens possess both qualities, such as you and your dad. I agree that it is upsetting that art programs are being cut from schools because like you pointed out and as we have seen from class this week, so many thing around us are influenced by both art and science. I enjoyed reading your post! Thank you!
P.S. Your dad is a talented singer :)
Katelyn O’Keefe