Week 1: Two Cultures

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  My name is Lauren, and I am an applied mathematics major here at UCLA. Something I noticed before this class was about the two types of bachelor's degrees, art and science. I’ve always wondered why it was those two. "A bachelor of arts usually includes broader general instruction in the liberal arts and humanities, whereas a bachelor of science includes more focused, applied work (Leckrone).” I always found it interesting how my math degree falls into the science category when math even has it’s own letter in STEM.


(Jung and Tak)

    In 1959, C.P. Snow gave a lecture, which talked about how the separation of art and science is creating a knowledge gap. This week in class, we got a chance to learn about the division of these “two cultures.”  At UCLA, for example, the campus is split into North and South campuses, with the north side being social sciences and humanities and the south side being physical and life sciences. “It’s not as though there’s a physical barrier separating the two, but when you step across the invisible demarcation, it’s immediately apparent that the atmosphere has changed” (Jung and Tak). This geographical split follows the exact separation of art and science that needs to be integrated into one.

(Smulovics)

  In a paper by Stephen Wilson, he says, “In the contemporary world, however, the relationship has become more complex with new technologies opening up unprecedented areas of scientific inquiry and science providing many ideas for new technologies. (Wilson)” Technology has become a big part of the modern world. It is becoming the bridge that connects art and science. Artists are transitioning to photography and digital artwork, and scientists are creating new machines to help them solve problems. Kevin Kelly wrote a whole article saying how technology is the so-called third culture.


(Popova)

In a book by Davis Bohm, he states, “A great deal of our perception is necessarily of this character, which is relatively mechanical, in the sense that the order, pattern and structure of what is perceived come from the record of past experiences and thinking (Bohm).” In the same sense that learning how to ride a bike at an early age just sticks with you, our minds automatically differentiate art and science as two separate things. Bohm tries to get the point across that creativity is necessary for both.


References

On Creativity, by David Bohm, edited by Lee Nichol, Routledge, 2004, pp. 137-149. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Jung, Justin, and Nitya Tak. “A campus divided | PRIME.” PRIME, 2021, https://prime.dailybruin.com/justinnorth&southcampus. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Kelly, Kevin. “The Third Culture.” Science Magazine, 13 February 1998, https://www.edge.org/conversation/kevin_kelly-the-third-culture. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Leckrone, Bennett. “Bachelor of Arts vs. Bachelor of Science: What's the Difference?” BestColleges.com, 2 August 2024, https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/bachelor-of-arts-vs-bachelor-of-science/. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Popova, Maria. “Physicist David Bohm and Buddhist Monk Matthieu Ricard on How We Shape What We Call Reality.” Transcend Media Service, 28 September 2015, https://www.transcend.org/tms/2015/09/physicist-david-bohm-and-buddhist-monk-matthieu-ricard-on-how-we-shape-what-we-call-reality/. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Smulovics, Peter. “The Impact of Technology on Artistic Expression and Creativity.” Dotnereers, 23 February 2024, https://dotneteers.net/the-impact-of-technology-on-artistic-expression-and-creativity/. Accessed 3 April 2025.

Wilson, Stephen. Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology. 2000, http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson/. Accessed 3 April 2025.


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