by In C. P. Snow’s book The Two Cultures Snow addresses the lack of connection between the field of science and the humanities. He also attributes many of the world’s problems are because of this disconnect and that there needs to be bridges built between these two fields if we want to see productive change in the world. I agree with Snow in his argument that people in this world need to be more connected and not just stick to what they know and believe that people outside of their field are unknowledgeable. The world needs to be more connected and people must embraces different cultures and be accepting of all people if we want to have a better world in which everyone can thrive.
At Colby there is a disconnect between students who are on Varsity athletic teams and those who do not participate in athletics. Students who are on Varsity athletic teams often feel very entitled to using exercise equipment in the Athletic Center. This leads to students who are not on athletic teams to feel shy to go to the Athletic Center and also leads to a power dynamic in which athletes feel that they can do what they want over their non-athlete peers. This attitude of superiority often transcends into the social culture at Colby where athletes are seen as “cool” and able to do as they please, whereas students who do not participate in athletics take a step back. Students needs to recognize that there shouldn’t be a sense of entitlement given to student-athletes, and that we at Colby should all feel empowered, athlete or not.
There exists two cultures between students who are majors in humanities and those who are majors in the sciences. Students who are majors in the sciences often think that they are more intelligent than their peers in the humanities because science requires more computation and critical thinking than the humanities. Students in the sciences also typically have to take lab based courses which makes courses more difficult as there is an added section to the course. But in reality students who are in the humanities still have to do many of the same problem solving that students in the sciences do, they must analyze hard pieces of literature and other pieces of writing and think critically about reading assignments and contemporary problems facing our society. Students should recognize the common ground that all students, regardless of the major, have and work towards making sure that everyone feels that they are “intelligent” and knows that they are pursuing a field worth investing ones time in.
There is overlap between students who exist within different cultures and we must aim to cultivate and see the common interests that we share. In our lives today there is more that unites us than divides us. The student who studies hard science such as: Biology, Physics, Chemistry or Math, has many shared interests as a person who studies the Humanities. Both of them are determined to pursue a challenging field, they are both intelligent, and hard-working. Embracing people from outside of our own culture will lead to a better environment for all people. This starts with embracing the commonality between us. We can’t see the world as two cultures as C.P. Snow does, but rather must recognize that there are countless cultures that exist in the world and at Colby, and work to see what common cultures we share rather than divide ourselves into two cultures.
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Image 1: https://www.sasaki.com/projects/colby-college-harold-alfond-athletics-and-recreation-center/