CP Snow’s perspectives of the two cultures and their interactions have greatly influenced our contemporary society, but has also been prevalently misconceived by many individuals in the process as well as today. He identifies the two cultures as those of literary intellectuals and natural scientists; in simpler words, of arts and sciences.
The common stereotypes and definitions of these cultures have contributed to the widening gap of the two. For example, Snow originally thought of the idea, ‘The Rich and the Poor’. From this, he portrays the artist as generally women or individuals who are lonely, and contrasts this with scientists who are constantly making new discoveries and prospering from them. However, with the presence of a third culture associating new technologies and active dialogues, it unifies the gap, making the differences less pronounced.
This division between science and the arts is also shown on UCLA’s campus (specifically Royce Hall) as the Northside deals with arts and humanities while the Southside, on the other hand, deals with math and sciences. Although these distinct parts of campus are split and a little ways away from each other, the enormity of students walking to and from these areas are what bridge this gap. It is the collaboration between these brilliant minds, alongside the technologies at hand, that contribute to this idea of uniformity. So no matter what major—psychology to chemistry— the collective students are what bring the school together, and form its uniqueness.
As I have grown up and adopted the American culture, I also gained Korean influence as well (my parents being originally from Korea). In much previous years, communications and connections between these two cultures would have never existed if it wasn’t for the third culture’s technologies that joined these unique unions together. Now, I feel that both of these cultures are intertwined and can be freely expressed.
Sources:
"John Brockman: Matchmaking with science and art." Interview by Duncan Graham-Rowe. Wired UK. N.p., 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2019.
Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb. 1998
Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a third culture: being in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-125.
Wilson, Stephen. "Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology." College Art Association Meetings. 2000, New York City. 7 Apr. 2019. Lecture.
I agree with your assessment of the division between the arts and science in UCLA. I also believe that the campus of UCLA is divided along a line between the arts/humanities majors(north campus), and the physical sciences majors(south campus). It is also very interesting to see how the ethnic Korean culture you have obtained from your parents is connected with American culture.
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