In 1959, C.P. Snow distinctly distinguishes the "intellectual life of the western society" into two polar ends - scientists at one end and literary intellectuals at the other.
Personally, I never thought too much about the distinction between the arts and sciences. Mostly because I never questioned whether there was actually a "third culture" in between the fine lines of literature and equations, that constantly drives both sides.
Atomic Force Microscopy Professor/ Science director at CNSI
who is also an aspiring artist during the weekend
Upon stepping foot into college, I didn't particularly understand why, as a Microbiology Immunology and Molecular Genetics major, I was shuffled into the umbrella College of "Letters" and Sciences when almost all of my classes take place on the right side of the campus divide.
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My alma mater "UCLA" depicting the divide between "North" and "South" Campus
http://www.eeweb.ee.ucla.edu/images/welcome_UCLA%20Campus.jpg
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Through my scientific training, I learned about the quantitative procedures necessary to bridge what we have in nature into innovations that are useful to mankind. At the same time, I also learned about the art of patient care and human nature. Seeing patients live and die, the world going around, led me to realize that everything - not only the art and sciences - are a part of the same system.
As of right now, it is my last quarter at UCLA before heading off to medical school. I have come to realize "Medicine is an art based on science." There is a unquantifiable human motivation that drives scientific advancements in ways that artificial intelligence cannot ever.
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Book explaining the art of medicine and human function
http://www.ilex-press.com/wp-content/uploads/the-art-of-medicine-1-x-medi-lvcr-976x976.png
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On a personal note, I am what people refer to ABC or "American born chinese." Also sometimes the acronym FOB or "Fresh off Boat." Through my own duality of Chinese and American culture, I experience life in way that I could ever have through only one. I learned to adopt the best of each culture from the food to work ethics and mentality. As a result, it became second nature to me to switch between English and Chinese in terms of both language and thoughts, just like the duality of arts and sciences.
Fresh off the boat is a humorous TV series that
describes the life of asian immigrants
http://ib2.huluim.com/show_key_art/21869?size=1600x600®ion=US
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Citations
Anderson, Julie, Emm Barnes Johnstone, and Emma Shackleton. The Art of Medicine: Over 2000 Years of Medicine in Our Lives. Lewes: Ilex, 2011. Print.
Khan, Nahnatchka. Fresh off the Boat. Digital image.Http://ib2.huluim.com/show_key_art/21869?size=1600x600®ion=US. American Broadcasting Company, n.d. Web.
Panda, S.C. “Medicine: Science or Art?” Mens Sana Monographs 4.1 (2006): 127–138. PMC. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.
TedxTalks. "The Third Culture: Science, Art, and Ideas: Dr. Adam Steig." Animation. Youtube. Web. 29, Aug 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrCIIEyaL_o>
UCLA. Digital image.Http://www.eeweb.ee.ucla.edu/images/welcome_UCLA%20Campus.jpg. UCLA, n.d. Web.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.
I liked your statement about not initially seeing a divide between arts and sciences. I think that it speaks to the point made in the lectures about the artificial nature of this divide, and how, like you said with respect to the life of a patient, all aspects of life are connected.
ReplyDeleteI am also an ABC, so I appreciate the duality of cultures as well.
Chipping in on the same topic, I like to think that most of the people from our generation don't think about art and science as a divide as much as the older generations do (since we've pretty much grown up and live in a world of technology in which the latest and most popularized art forms are communicated to us through technology).
ReplyDeleteI like how you think of the medical field as a type of art as well. I mean, honestly, who is to say anything is NOT art? There seems to be this super institutionalized / snotty sort of stereotype behind the word 'art' (think galleries and contemporary art that uses fancy language) that I think we should really look more at what is happening outside.
I like how you exemplify two cultures by different cultures between American and Chinese. I think it is absolutely right to reflect the situation in our society. I am an international student as well and I realized it is always good to experience both western and Chinese culture. I think it is one of the best way to express how different cultures can be compatible.
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