Week 1: Two Cultures

The worlds of art and science have always seemed intertwined to me. As a young child, my favorite forms of fiction revolved around science fiction, a genre where science was welcomed and praised. This intersection has further featured in my major, Mathematics/Economics, which features elements of both science (Mathematics) and art (Economics). While economics may not necessarily be the most artistic of majors, it does involve an attempt to understand and explain human behavior, which is the root of all art. As Snow states, the future lies in an intersection between these two seemingly disparate cultures, resulting in a third culture where innovation exists.

UCLA Math Department handbook, using the Simpsons to capture the reader's attention.

I am no stranger to bridging two cultures. As an immigrant from India who studies in the US, I live in a perpetual state of dynamism, incorporating elements of both the culture of my birth and the culture I live in to generate a unique culture that I can call my own.

Despite the contention of some, like Brockman, who states that scientists already represent the “third culture”, I believe that instead, there is an ebb

The helicopter, inspired by the Jules Verne book, "Clipper of the Clouds"

and flow of ideas between both cultures, allowing both artists and scientists to inspire and be inspired by one another. This results in the formation of a hybrid third culture. As Snow and Vesna state, these cultures lie at the heart of the intersection of different cultures, resulting in the progression of both cultures involved and humanity as a whole. I fully embrace the formation of these cultures, and this lecture has empowered me to continue on my current path, encouraging me to seek out the seemingly incompatible parts of science and the arts and attempt to mesh them up in unique, innovative ways.

References:

Snow, C. P. “The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

Brockman, John. The Third Culture. N.p.: n.p., 1995. Print.

Unknown. “Handbook.” math.ucla.edu, 2012-13,  https://www.math.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/ugrad/Handbook/12-13.jpg

Amita Roy Shah. "USA-India Flag" Amita Roy Shah's Blog. August 13, 2012. https://amitaroyshah.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/usa_india_flag_by_raza786.jpg

Bettman. "Helicopter". The Smithsonian. March 15th, 2012.

https://thumbs-media.smithsonianmag.com/filer/SciFi-Inventions-Helicopter-2.jpg__800x0_q85_crop.jpg