In Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution C.P. Snow argues that western society’s intellectual life is increasingly becoming divided into two polar groups, the literary intellectuals and scientists, more specifically, physical scientists (Snow, 1959). He discusses the hostility that exists between these two groups and the different stereotypes that both sides hold towards the other. For example, he mentions how non-scientists tend to think of scientists as brash and boastful whereas scientists tend to believe literary intellectuals are lacking in foresight and anti-intellectual (Snow, 1959).
For students at UCLA, this divide is evident. As a political science major, I have heard students, particularly those in STEM fields, questioning the value of my education and the education of students in the arts and humanities in general. I have also heard harsh criticisms and comments from humanities majors towards STEM majors. It is important to note that this dispute is not unique to UCLA. One can find debate on this very topic on other college campuses, in articles, even online in the form of memes.
However, UCLA takes this divide one step further by establishing a geographic split of the arts and humanities in the northern part of campus and life and physical sciences in the southern part. While further fueling the science vs. arts and humanities debate/dispute, this split also demonstrates another way in which the division of the arts and sciences have impacted contemporary society. While UCLA’s North Campus is much more park-like with large open spaces and landmark buildings, South Campus seems to have a more corporate structure which demonstrates what society’s most powerful influence is today (UC Online, 2012).
In creating these binaries we have limited how students can learn thereby negatively impacting our societies progress. We have created a world in which those studying life/physical sciences and those studying arts and humanities cannot properly communicate with each other. This can be seen in how intellectuals today are handling the climate crisis. In order to bridge this gap, the University of California and Vox have created a video series titled "Climate Lab" which helps establish why the arts and humanities are important to the sciences and vice versa. This video series relies on the facts that climate scientists realize; the work of digital artists, videographers, etc; and the knowledge from social scientists who study human behavior and pinpoint the best ways to disseminate information.
Jung, J., & Tak, N. (n.d.). A campus divided | PRIME. PRIME. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://prime.dailybruin.com/justinnorth&southcampus
Snow, C.P. (1959). The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution. The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press.
STEM vs Arts & Humanities: A False Dichotomy. (2019, March 29). Enterra Solutions. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://enterrasolutions.com/blog/stem-vs-arts-humanities/
UC Online. (2012, April 2). TwoCultures pt3. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FOEuxrwxd0
Vox. (2017, April 19). Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change. YouTube. Retrieved
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