Week 1 | Two Cultures | Asha Agarwal

    I am a neuroscience major. I identify very strongly with the persona of a STEM student and my classes are almost exclusively on UCLA’s South campus.  Before this class, I wholeheartedly believed in the deep separation between the arts and the sciences, similar to the idea discussed by Snow expressing the distinction between two primary cultures.  However, through greater reflection on this topic prompted by enrollment in this class and the idea of harmony between the two cultures, I have now realized how much artistic appreciation exists in the sciences and vice versa.  To me, the brain is beautiful.  Not only does it hold the ability to make us thoughtful human beings capable of learning and communicating at a higher cognitive level, but anyone who has seen the brightly colorful images of axonal connections can attest to the beauty in the field of neuroscience.


“Can Computers Use Brain Scans to Diagnose Psychiatric Disorders?” Science in the News, Harvard University, https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2016/can-computers-use-brain-scans-to-diagnose-psychiatric-disorders/.



And this beauty extends beyond the brain! Chemistry, widely regarded as one of the most intense and “science-like” fields, conjuring images of mad scientists mixing chemicals in a lab, is the foundation for a lot of the beauty we see both in the natural world and in the beauty created by artists and designers. Hydrogen and oxygen allow for the growth and flourishing of plants and scenes of beauty in nature, while chemical compounds produce the vibrant and bright colors used for painting, clothing dyes, and more that bring color into our lives (“Visible and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy”).



“Visible and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy” MSU Chemistry, https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/reusch/virttxtjml/spectrpy/uv-vis/spectrum.htm.



What is so interesting about taking these two long divided factions of society and melding them is the breakthroughs and benefits a career or study of art and science intertwined can create. Brian Owens from Nature even states: “Scientists’ ability to experience wonder, awe and beauty in their work is associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and better mental health” (Owens). Adopting a similar line of thinking, Bogatz, whose article describes examples of artists inspired by works of science, states: “From the beginning, artists have also been scientists” (Bogatz). 


Bogatz, Timothy. “11 Fascinating Artists Inspired by Science.” The Art of Education University, 23 Oct. 2017, https://theartofeducation.edu/2017/10/26/11-fascinating-artists-inspired-science/.


The idea that science and art can be brought together by a third culture, described by Vesna, is found in the scientists appreciating beauty and artists allowing science to pull them in. This third culture can then be appreciated by the masses and celebrates the possibility of harmony as, bottom line, the two disciplines strive for the same goal: understanding the unique strangeness that is the human condition.




References:

Bogatz, Timothy. “11 Fascinating Artists Inspired by Science.” The Art of Education University, 23 Oct. 2017, https://theartofeducation.edu/2017/10/26/11-fascinating-artists-inspired-science/. 

Owens, Brian. “Beauty and Wonder of Science Boosts Researchers' Well-Being.” Beauty and Wonder of Science Boosts Researchers’ Well-Being, Nature Publishing Group, 17 Mar. 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00762-8. 

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures ; and the Scientific Revolution. University Press, 1959.

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

“Visible and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy.” MSU Chemistry, https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/reusch/virttxtjml/spectrpy/uv-vis/spectrum.htm. 

Comments

  1. Chayanne_Melwood_Desma9April 2, 2022 at 11:57 PM

    Hi Asha,
    I just want to start off by saying this blog post is amazing, I love the graphics and its bright colors. I really like how you were able to discuss the reading but still relate it back to your own life, teaching us a little bit about your self. Neuroscience major? Wow way to go! I could not get pass the first Chemistry series therefore I had to switch majors my second year, so anyone who is taking majority of STEM classes I'm just like wow.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ayrton Garcia-JuradoApril 3, 2022 at 11:50 PM

    Asha,

    Great blog post! Your embedded images create paragraph separation which makes your post very clear and easy to read. The images also provide additional information and evidence which validate your claims. I think your post was well written and very informative.

    Prior to this class, I also believed that there was a disconnect between the art and the science, however, it was interesting to hear a STEM major's opinion on the matter. As a musician, I bring a different background to the subject, although we do share similar opinions on the influence that art and science have on each other.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ErinR.April 4, 2022 at 8:06 AM

    Hey Asha,
    I love the use of bold and vibrant colors in your photos. I do too find neuroscience very interesting, but I don,t think I'd take it as a major. I admire how you talk about your views on the subject changing from believing in separation of the arts and science, to seeing them as united, then mentioning the tie of the third culture. Overall, this is such a great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isabel EnriquezApril 5, 2022 at 4:29 PM

    I loved how you connected how things can be beautiful in science (like that gorgeous photo of the brain) and how science can explain some of the beauty found in our world! I loved the perspective that science can be used to better understand things that are naturally beautiful and how it can be used to in a way understand why things are so beautiful. Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paravi DasApril 8, 2022 at 1:59 PM

    Asha - your post was both insightful and beautiful! Your words about “Chemistry, widely regarded as one of the most intense and “science-like” fields, conjuring images of mad scientists mixing chemicals in a lab, is the foundation for a lot of the beauty we see both in the natural world and in the beauty created by artists and designers” really caught my eye. It’s an intriguing thing to be able to look at a concept like chemistry, something so far from the stereotypical view of art and design, and be able to bridge the gap between the ideas. I also appreciated what you said about, “understanding the unique strangeness that is the human condition” as a common goal. I think an interesting question to pose is defining “understanding” - how will we know when we’ve come to that place of harmony, where we truly understand the human condition? I consider it to be an ongoing process, so what defines the landmarks of “progress” in this journey?

    ReplyDelete

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