Sunday, August 31, 2008
Snow's Problem with Educational Specialization
I very much agree with Snow's analysis of the two cultures. I think that his work implies that the value of any specific scientific concentration is fundamentally diminished without the application to the larger societal questions that are stressed by the liberal arts. What interests me most in Snow's discussion is its relevance to politics, government and moral decision-making today. Of the scientists he writes, "in the moral, they are the by and large the soundest group of intellectuals we have; there is a moral component right in the grain of science itself, and almost all scientists form their own judgments of the moral life" (13). With such a large interplay between scientists and those who participate in the liberal professions, what is a pragmatic solution to the bridge between the two cultures? It seems that both could make better decisions with the help of the other. But can they ever learn to work together? If not, is it feasible to provide every person with a thorough scientific and liberal arts education?
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