Week 1: Two Cultures

As someone who previously resonated well with the idea of being a "left brained" scholar, one that is better suited for logic, mathematics, and science, I found this weeks resources to be quite fascinating and made me question the way our society has historically chosen to separate these disciplines so harshly. 

Depiction of left & right brain hemispheres, courtesy of Harvard Health Publishing

Growing up as a child I enjoyed trying a range of activities, anything form theater camp and art class to math after-school daycare and engineering programs. Throughout the trail and error I found myself aligning deeply with tasks involving logic, reason, and a single right answer, while becoming increasingly frustrated with areas of my extracurriculars that encouraged expressive forms of creativity and outward imagination. Although I was learning where I felt a sense of belonging and where I was tending to shy away from, I was never concerned about turning down artistic opportunities because I was often assured I was a "left-brained" person and functioned better with a certain subset of tasks. As I reflect back, and after reviewing the materials from this week, I am left to wonder how my perception of the arts could have been different if I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and encouraged into more expressive activities.

Separation of Science and the Arts, and what Lies Between, Courtesy of Steemit @g0nr0gue

From the historical background on this separation through the lecture videos as well as an artist's viewpoint in professor Vesna's article on the third culture, I can begin to understand why this conversation originated and the basis for C. P. Snows argument. The two disciplines are seemingly opposite while still holding strange similarities and being of grave importance to society. I can understand how the Universities, especially form an economic and workforce perspective, have encouraged this divide into what we observe today. The danger is, however, the two cultures in light of the modern day and technology are becoming more intertwined than ever before, and we must find ways to bridge the communities that benefits the user experience and information sharing. The explosion of technology has hugely influenced the merging between artists and scientist into a mutual space where communication is key. The idea of a third culture is presented to bridge the two cultures, however I believe the best solution will result from a deeper understanding and communication between the respective sides towards a unified common goal.

"Is it Possible to be a Scientist and an Artist?" courtesy of PBS Learning Media

Sources:

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 1998

“Science & Art: A Perfect Relationship.” Steemit, 30 July 2017, https://steemit.com/science/@g0nr0gue/science-and-art-a-perfect-relationship.

Shmerling, Robert H., MD. “Right Brain/Left Brain, Right?” Harvard Health, 25 Aug. 2017, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/right-brainleft-brain-right-2017082512222.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures ; and the Scientific Revolution. University Press, 1959.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–25.

Viskontas, Indre. “Is It Possible to Be a Scientist and an Artist?” PBS LearningMedia, https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/da2f81a8-65e7-4ce8-a277-9d26815d00b9/is-it-possible-to-be-a-scientist-and-an-artist/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2022.

Wilson, Stephen. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” 2000.