Blog 1

Ever since I made the decision to come to UCLA, I find myself having to continuously answer the same question; “What are you majoring in?”. Regrettably, months later I am still far from deciding. My whole life I’ve been asked if I am a math and science person or an english and arts person; yet another question I am still far from discovering the answer to. I have always been decent at everything, and thus, have struggled to find a single subject I am truly passionate about. I’m hoping sometime soon, I’ll uncover one field that motivates me to excel. That is what drew me to take this class, and made this first week’s information extremely relevant to my life and my quest in finding the right major for me.

After our first week of classes, I’ve realized that maybe I don’t have to conform to the black and white ways of modern education. I may instead, find a major in a shade of grey that suits who I am and what I’ve been searching for. In Lecture part III, the picture below was shown depicting the extreme separation of science and art shown in the architecture of the UCLA campus. This extreme separation represents the flaws of modern education) and I feel a personal connection as it relates back to my ongoing struggle in finding a major. In these moments, I can’t help but agree with C.P. Snow when he said, “I believe the intellectual life of the whole of western society is increasingly being split into two polar groups”.  The lack of collaboration between these groups of people is limiting our nation from developing in ways far beyond what we ever imagined possible. As depicted in the third picture below, a world of opportunity comes to light once we access the knowledge and intellect of two groups together. Slowly but surely this collaboration is beginning to take place. People like Hans Ulrich Obrist, a curator and co-director of the Serpentine Gallery in London's Kensington Gardens, are unifying the two and initiating such collaborations. Below is a picture of him and his sculpture that incorporates both science and art.

CITATION

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Miller, John. "The Art and Science of Content Creation." The Art and Science of Content Creation. Scribewise, 13 May 2013. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.

"Home." Two Cultures. Elegant Themes, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2013

"TwoCultures Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 31 Mar. 2012. Web. 04 Oct. 2013.

Graham-Rowe, Duncan. "John Brockman: Matchmaking with Science and Art." John Brockman: Matchmaking with Science and Art 3 Feb. 2011: n. pag. Web. 3 Oct. 2013.