Week 1: Introduction

C.P Snow believes that how we define scientists and non scientists is mostly misinterpretation, and it is ALL destructive. By defining we are creating spheres or “cultures” in which one can not be more or less than what they are prescribed to be. I believe each individual is different and generalizations often are demeaning, wrong, and lead only to conflict. In the spirit of defining one’s self, let me introduce myself. Hello my name is Bryan Ceron, I am a 4th year Middle Eastern Studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I am taking this class to challenge myself, my methodologies, my perceptions, more generally what I am blissfully unaware of and never question.

Defining Oneself
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John Brockman believes that the bridges being constructed between the two cultures are still very fragile. At UC Santa Barbara this bridge was never apparent to me, until I started to think about it. I believe it’s physical manifestation is the Library, it’s in the middle of campus and connects both the Humanities/Arts side with the Science/Technical side. This bridge is very fragile, I believe those who run our system know this very well. There is not a day goes by where the library is not being renovated or new donations are being used to strengthen this bridge by creating a new building or buying new technology to keep the system afloat.

Construction UCSB Library Addition
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C. P Snow believes that both artist and scientist are involved in the world of intuiting change in perception and materializing it for others to experience, see and ultimately change. I myself fall into the humanities “literary intellectual”, I’m not an artist and I certainly am not a scientist, I study the works of others. More specifically I study the Middle East as a whole, the cultures, religions, and it’s vast history. The perception of the middle east and the belief that an individual such as myself can institute change is what brought me to this field. The east, whether it be the Middle East or any other non western country is often seen as backwards and in need of guidance. Unfortunately for the Middle East, the history of imperialism and western intervention is far from over and their oppression is what strengthens my resolve to understand the why and hopefully do some good. 

If God Wills it
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Sources:

Toward a Third Culture: Being in between
Victoria Vesna

Leonardo, Vol. 34, No. 2. (2001), pp. 121-125.

Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1961. Print
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http://building.library.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Photo-2.jpg
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Corporate-philanthropypng
http://www.johngarvens.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/how_do_you_define_yourself.jpeg