“I can’t believe you
want to be a doctor. You’re so different from pre-med students!” I looked up from my painting.
“How so?” I asked. “You’re not competitive. You do things other than chemistry
and calculus.”
This is an exchange I had with my roommate which exemplifies
a flaw within our society and current education system. From an early age we are categorized as scientific
“left brain” or artistic “right brain” thinkers – each with associated stereotypes.
Though the birth of these “two cultures” is relatively recent, it has had an
immense impact on educational development.
I always found the division between left and right brain to
be interesting, yet, oversimplified. The way I think of it, if someone has only half
a brain, can they function? No. Thus, both the left and right brain are
integral to optimal intellectual capacity. Though I’m a south campus major at
UCLA, I don’t use just the left side
of my brain. It would be impossible for me to think critically, collaborate with my
peers, and develop my own hypotheses.
 |
| stereotypical interpretations of scientists and artists |
Therefore, I believe it is necessary to acknowledge an interdisciplinary
approach for learning and fostering creativity. I agree with C.P.
Snow and the necessity to bridge the “gulf of mutual incomprehension” among
scientists and artists (Snow, 4). Titled “I listen to color”, one of my
favorite TED Talks captures the essence of science and art’s intertwined
existence and their capacity for innovation.
As Victoria Vesna stated, “scientist-artists originally conceived
and designed bridges,” describing the emergence of third culture that combines the
two (Vesna 121). While I like the idea of this bridge, I propose just one culture.
Maybe both cultures are one in the same and simply have different mediums in
practice. The thought processes between scientists and artists are strikingly similar
as both “[intuit] change in perception and materializ[e] it for others to
experience…” (Vesna 122).
I’m a physiological science major with a minor in French. I like
calculus, but I also enjoy photography. I shouldn’t have to choose science or
art, for “this polarization is a sheer loss to us all” (Snow 12). Our world
continues to advance and I am hopeful that integration of the two cultures resurfaces.
Throughout life, we are told to conform; however, maybe we need to scribble
outside the lines to truly experience and learn about the world around us.
Sources:
Sources:
"Left Brain vs. Right: It's a Myth,
Research Finds." LiveScience. Ed. Christopher Wanjek. N.p., 3 Sept.
2013. Web. 24 June 2016.
<http://www.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html>.
Harbisson, Neil. "I listen to
color." TED. N.p., 20 June 2012. Web. 24 June 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_harbisson_i_listen_to_color?language=en>.
Snow, C. P. "The Two Cultures and
the Scientific Revolution." Cambridge University Press (1959): 4,
12. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. Third Culture: Being
in Between. Vol. 32. N.p.: MIT Press, 2001. 121-22. Leonardo. Ser. 2. Web.
24 June 2016.
<http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0024-094X%282001%2934%3A2%3C121%3ATATCBI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-3>.
" Why interdisciplinary research
matters." Nature. N.p., 17 Sept. 2015. Web. 24 June 2016.
<http://www.nature.com/news/why-interdisciplinary-research-matters-1.18370>.
I particularly liked the anecdote from the beginning of your blog where you capture an example of the divide between north and south campus and almost "rivalry" at UCLA. And I definitely agree with you that it is not people simply using one side of their brain according to what someone is specializing in. Interestingly, and to support your idea from a psycholinguistic perspective, there is evidence that when a young child is impaired from one side of the brain, the other side often fills several functions of the impaired side (after surgery of course). Needless to say I applaud that you engage in multiple disciplines!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the anecdote your provided at the beginning. Frustratingly enough, my former south campus roommate would always with he was an easier north campus major. It always irked me that he would discount different fields because he viewed them as easier than an engineering major. I think you do an incredible job with paralleling this north and south campus rivalry at UCLA with the misconstrued left vs. right brain idea. If anything, we've learned that interdisciplinary forms of learning, such as science and art, often produce magnificent marvels. It's not a matter of right vs. left brain, or north vs. south campus, but rather an appreciation of differing ideas and the way that we can collaborate these different perspectives and thoughts. Great blog entry! I am also a fan of TED talks, and enjoyed watching the one you posted!
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