WEEK 1: TWO CULTURES
When Professor Vesna writes of Weinberg’s haughty dismissal of the “critics of science” as people who are to be appeased solely for funding, my instincts push me to view science as the gatekeepers to the utopian alternative of perfect collaboration between the two cultures (Vesna, 2001). However, C.P. Snow’s observation that for scientists, artists are people who are ignorant of the most foundational concepts of what forms their entire body of study, pushes me to concede that artists too often view their work as more human and thus superior (Snow, 1959). Both these writings have helped me shape my understanding of the division between the two cultures and have opened my eyes to several examples of their friction.
As an aspiring business consultant, my research and conversations with recruiters from top firms reveal that they prefer hiring students with a science degree over an arts one since it is believed that they are trained to be more logical and hard-working (Desai, 2015). I find this to be false given that an artist seeking to imbue complex emotions and messages into their work must do so after intense thought and also through toil. Still, 88% of the 2021 graduates from India’s top business school were former engineers.
“Popular Undergraduate Majors of MBA Students.” US News, https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/2017-03-14/us-news-data-a-portrait-of-the-typical-mba-student.
Being a Mathematics major, I often scoffed at easy General Education classes but a reevaluation reveals that it were those theater and history classes that kindled better reading, communicating, and writing skills in me. Individuals devoid of these tools are deemed less likely to be able to implement the scientific knowledge they proudly accrue.
“Schematic Overview of the Field and the Actors of Science Communication According to Carsten Könneker.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_communication#/media/File:Science_Communication_%E2%80%93_schematic_overview.png.
The readings thus lead me to believe that the confluence lies in an understanding of human
needs. While a scientist might belittle an artist for not knowing calculus, they are likely to seek
Eddie Murphy in gloomy times than Isaac Newton. Similarly, an artist with a cold turns to a
doctor and not Picasso. The cultures satisfy different but equally important needs while
simultaneously perhaps the biggest human need - to express and learn.
Malow, Brian, comedian. Do Scientists Have a Sense of Humor? . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH0AO9NqF3s.
WORKS CITED
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125.
Print.
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures ; and the Scientific Revolution. University Press, 1959.
Desai, Prachi. “Consulting Firms like Bain and Ernst & Young Line up to Get a Share of Iits'
Talent Pie.” The Economic Times
, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/consulting-firms-like-bain-and-ernst-young
-line-up-to-get-a-share-of-iits-talent-pie/articleshow/50179266.cms
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. “Current Batch Profile.” 31 Mar. 2021.
Feliú-Mójer, Mónica I. “Effective Communication, Better Science.” Scientific American Blog Network Scientific American, 24 Feb. 2015, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/ effective-communication-better-science/.
Hello Akhil! I agree with various points you make in your blog post. More specifically, I believe the example you provided of the divide in terms of hiring processes is an important one to consider. This divide not only creates stereotypes but also hinders people’s access to certain jobs. Once you are in one discipline such as the arts or the social sciences, it will be hard to pursue a discipline such as science, technology, etc. if you choose to, later on. In a sense, you are branded for life as one or the other. I wonder, what can be done to diminish this gap in the work field? Should recruiters stop looking at the specific discipline a candidate studied? I think it is important to consider the valuable skills either discipline provides, and to be open-minded to the studies of others.
ReplyDeleteHello Akhil! I agree with various points you make in your blog post. More specifically, I believe the example you provided of the divide in terms of hiring processes is an important one to consider. This divide not only creates stereotypes but also hinders people’s access to certain jobs. Once you are in one discipline such as the arts or the social sciences, it will be hard to pursue a discipline such as science, technology, etc. if you choose to, later on. In a sense, you are branded for life as one or the other. I wonder, what can be done to diminish this gap in the work field? Should recruiters stop looking at the specific discipline a candidate studied? I think it is important to consider the valuable skills either discipline provides, and to be open-minded to the studies of others.
ReplyDelete(Apologies, the top comment is mine but I was signed into a different account.)