by According to CP Snow, I belong to one of the two cultures, humanities. My major is Sociology and my minor is Science, Technology and Society. At first, I thought that with my minor I also lightly touched into the science category but upon further research I decided I did not. I believe that what I am learning in my STS minor is still more of a humanity because it looks more at the way that science is as a field and less of the numbers, methods and experiments I would usually associate with science.
However, I do agree with CP Snow that this hard line of two cultures is a hindrance to advancement. I believe that my studies cannot just be confined to humanities, and that social science is a middle ground between science and humanities. Liberal arts colleges make this bridge between science and humanities accessible in many ways. The most obvious way is double majoring. Here at Colby it is very common, for example to be a biology and fine arts major or a chemistry and music major. Minors also play a role in this bridge for students who cannot fully take on both cultures but still want to be exposed. Colby also guarantees that this bridge is here for students by having distribution requirements. These requirements force students to take classes in different areas than just their major. These requirements are supposed to help build a more well-rounded student body.
Colby also offers a major that in itself is a bridge between the humanities and science. The Science, Technology and Society department clearly touches on both the sciences and humanities by just reading the name. Students in this major or minor come from all backgrounds, some who have embraced the more science side and some who have embraced the more humanities side. However, they come together in these STS classes and work with both humanities and sciences.
I do not believe that humanities could function without science or that science could function without humanities. I believe that they should not be seen as two separate cultures but two different parts of a whole that need the other to function. I believe that making a large distinction between the cultures makes people feel the need to categorize themselves as those good at science or those good at humanities, and I don’t understand why it is seen as an “or” option instead of an “and” option. Most of the basics in both humanities and science are the same. The most basic thing that both have to do is read. While I think the stereotype is that the humanities are more the readers of the two, in reality science people have to read too. Granted the readings are usually different, but at the core of both cultures there are similarities. I think that these similarities are frequently overlooked and that more places of education should make an effort to bridge the gap between the sciences and humanities.