When asked which subject is more important, Science or Humanities, most people would agree that they are of equal importance in Western Society. However, that does not mean that they are viewed in the same way. C.P Snow draws attention to this contrast between science and humanities/arts in society in
The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution (1).
(2)
After reading this paper, many examples of this binary immediately come to mind. As a student-athlete at UCLA, I know the familiar "jock vs. nerd" stereotype all too well. Portrayed in TV shows, movies, and books everywhere, this stereotype does hold some weight when it comes to college majors among athletes.
(3)
Almost everyone I know on my team has a 'humanities'-type major like history, sociology, or communications. Most student athletes stray away from any science majors, because they have a connotation for being much too hard or too rigorous, often for 'nerds' (4). With our hectic schedules, it would be almost impossible to maintain a high GPA in those science classes, not to mention find time in our schedule for those long lab based classes. We see these majors to be less nerdy, even though science and math classes are of incredible importance. We even distinguish these majors as "North Campus" (or humanities) and "South Campus" (math and science) majors, with each campus having their own stereotypes. C.P Snow acknowledged the way that educational systems seem to favor humanities and arts over science classes. I think that this major divide between the two subjects is unfortunate, because I believe that it is very important for one to always desire to learn, and I find myself often fascinated with the many scientific facts that I learn. For example, there is a page on Facebook called "I fucking love science" that posts extremely interesting scientific ideas or facts that I always click on and find so interesting.
(5)
It draws my attention because it portrays science in a less intimidating, more relatable way, so more people can enjoy it. This is a good example of the Third Culture that C.P Snow strove towards, a culture where technology can bridge the worlds of Art and Science. I think this is very important because the society can become more intelligent and less ignorant as a whole, which is a very important change to make.
Sources
(1)Snow, C.P. "Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution." Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print
(2)http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys- images/Books/Pix/pictures/2013/8/14/1376500532138/CP-Snow-008.jpg
(3)http://www.ggis.ro/web/media/k2/items/cache/9415f9bcd76598f9c08127db1641b596_XL.jpg
(4)http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-11-18-majors-graphic_N.htm
(5)http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/compound-eye/files/2013/04/ifls.jpg
I found the ideas that you focused on in your response very interesting. I enjoyed reading about how you related the two cultures to stereotypes found around school. I am a geography major which leans more towards the humanities side of things but like you, I also find random scietific facts to be extemely interesting. I agree that when science is presented in a less complex and intimidating way it is easier for me to understant and therefore enjoy what I am reading.
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