Ryan M. Blog 1

 My name is Ryan Morrissey and I am in my final quarter at UCLA.  As a history major I have a unique perspective on the confluence and divide between the arts and sciences. It is necessary as a history major to have a general understanding of the influence of both fields in order to assess their impacts on the progress of humanity.  I believe that the time with the most interaction between the fields was the Italian Renaissance. During this time there was no separation between scientists and artists, allowing for greater innovation and the analysis of scientific studies from an artistic perspective.  Davinci embodied this confluence through his engineering projects and the study of the human body itself.

https://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/images/vm/leonardo.jpg


Both Vesna and C.P. Snow discussed the origins of the divide between the fields of study and the overall negative impact this will have on academia and progress.  Additionally there is the divide in wealth that causes disproportionate educational opportunities to those in wealthier social classes. This began during industrialization and the gap has only continued to grow larger over time.  The trend seems irreversible, yet both authors discussed how the combination of the arts and sciences is the only efficient method of combating disparities that only continue to grow.


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Although I have not physically been on the UCLA campus in many years it is impossible not to remember the physical and cultural divide between the arts and science students. I spent much of my time on the arts side of campus and it was beautiful and peaceful. The science side of campus looks like some futuristic cityscape and the work being done there matches the aesthetic. What I personally found most interesting was the opinions the actual groups had of one another.  The science students definately felt superior to the arts students and looked down on their studies as unimportant.  The arts students seemed to think of the science students as analytical robots incapable of recognizing the value of the arts.  Of course this was not every person's opinion I interacted with, yet as a sort of middleman between the two I certainly felt and experienced the divide.  It is integral going forward for our educational system to be a far more all encompassing experience.  A well rounded education creates truly intelligent individuals who can recognize the value of all academic pursuits.  

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Sources:
  
 Vesna, V. (2001). Toward a Third Culture: Being in between. Leonardo, 34(2), 121–125. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014 

Snow, C. P. (1960). The two cultures and the Scientific Revolution. At the Univ. Press.

Wiseman. (1863). Points of contact between science and art : a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution, January 30, 1863  / by His Eminence Cardinal Wiseman. Hurst and Blackett.

 Wilson, Stephen. (2002). Information arts: Intersections of art, science, and Technology. MIT Press.

Leonardo's Vitruvian Man. The Vitruvian Man. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2022, from http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/history/leonardo.html?vm=r

 





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