Two Cultures

In 1959, Charles Percy Snow, an English author and physicist, talked abut the division of art and science that emerged during industrialization. He acknowledged that it exists all over the world.

Similarly, UCLA can be divided into North Campus (Humanities and Arts) and South Campus (Sciences and Math). Students often take classes within a specific campus and don't always get to spend a lot of time in the other part of the university. However, I partially disagree with Snow's assertion that universities are to blame for the separation of art and science.  College general education requirements allow students to be exposed to a variety of subjects, including the humanities and sciences during their undergraduate studies.

Personally, I do not feel connected to one campus more than the other here at UCLA because I have had to take both science and humanities classes as a psychology major. In cognitive psychology, art is used to help us understand the way our brain interprets sensory information. Illusions provide an example of how the brain can create false perceptions of reality.  

It's true – these circles are not actually moving!  

However, we have previously been taught that everyone has a dominant hemisphere of their brain. If a person is good at science, their left brain is thought to be dominant. If someone is creative and artistic, their right brain is said to be dominant. Like Professor Vesna said in lecture, this is incorrect. Researchers have found that people use both sides of their brains equally and the two hemispheres work together.
You can read more about it here: http://www.lamag.com/wellbeing/two-minds/.

Even though I see examples of the combination of art and science in my daily life, I agree with Stephen Wilson who argued that the two cultures need to expand and become more integrated. Just as the two different hemispheres of our brain communicate with each other, scientists and artists should collaborate more often. Knowledge from both cultures can help develop new ideas and enhance the way we think.

Angelozzi, Claire. "La Rue En 3 Dimensions Selon Edgar Mueller."Street Art Magazine. N.p., 03 Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. <https://instreetart.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/la-rue-en-3-dimensions-selon-edgar-mueller/>.

Beck, Zach. "Cat Reacts to Optical Illusion - MainFRAME Review."MainFRAME Review. N.p., 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <http://mainframereview.com/cat-reacts-to-optical-illusion/>.

Goldman, Jason G. "Right Brained, Wrong Brained: How Caltech Neuroscience Became a Buzzfeed Quiz."Los Angeles Magazine. N.p., 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <http://www.lamag.com/wellbeing/two-minds/>.

Miller, John. "The Art and Science of Content Creation." Web log post. The Art and Science of Content Creation. N.p., 13 May 2013. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <http://www.scribewise.com/blog/bid/281900/The-Art-and-Science-of-Content-Creation>.

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

"Tag Archives: Right Brain."NeuroBollocks. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 03 Apr. 2015. <https://neurobollocks.wordpress.com/tag/right-brain/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Lecture Part II."Two Cultures Lectures. Web. 02 Apr. 2015. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-1-view?module_item_id=6472132>.

Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York, New York, 2000. Print