Week 1 Blog Post DESMA9

Hi my name is Erik Jensen, and I am a senior philosophy major at UCLA. The topic of this week’s

articles has revolved around the separation between creative and linear thinking. In the article

Art and Research, Stephen Wilson claims that art and technology are constantly collaborating;

making a distinction between technology and science [5]. Some however, are less keen on this difference between schools of thought. David Bohm for instance,

in his paper On Creativity, makes the case for the motivations of science to be in line for the

same motivations of the abstract definition of creativity [1]. In The Third Culture , Kevin Kelly

states that while there is surely an interaction between science and the arts, an entirely new branch has been developed; a third culture that consists of qualities of both cultural arts and science [2].

As a Philosophy student at UCLA, I certainly see these explanations as having merit in our

institutions. Philosophy is one of the more diverse majors in a two cultures paradigm, as I have

both logic classes on the South “sciences” side of campus, as well as Northside classes that consist

of more "creative" studies such as writing. Especially after watching Sir Ken Robinson’s lecture

on Changing Education Paradigms, I feel that his explanation of how our institutions physically

separate buildings by science and art certainly adds to our inclination in separating them as

subjects [4]. As Steven Pinker notes in his interview with Seed Magazine, there are attributes

to these studies that require both linear and creative thinking, and perhaps it is time to reconnect

these cultures in order to have a more complete education [3].

I have included these images of the UCLA campus to show the differences from the rigid,

corporate structures that make up the science buildings, and the much more open and lush scenery

that makes up the humanities side of campus. The landscape coincides with the nature of the

seemingly opposing cultures surrounding science and art.  


Sources:

[1]Bohm, D. “On Creativity” Leonardo, Vol. 1, No. 2. (Apr., 1968), pp. 137-149

[2]Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture." The Third Culture. Web. Feb. 1998

[3]Pinker, S. “Two Cultures” Seed Magazine. Youtube.

[4]Robinson, Sir Ken. RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms. YouTube. 

[5]Wilson, Stephen D. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” College Art Association Meetings. New York. 2000. Print.


Comments

  1. JustineApril 3, 2022 at 11:20 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. JustineApril 3, 2022 at 11:25 PM

    Hey Erik,
    Philosophy is a very diverse major and area of study, I agree. From the philosophy class I had to take as a prerequisite for my major, I witnessed exactly what you talked about regarding the two sides to the subject. My major is psychology and I feel like I can connect to this post as I too view psychology is part of the "third" culture in a way. Psychology encompasses both humanities and science as does philosophy. It's really interesting that because of our new knowledge and readings regarding the "two cultures" and "third culture", we are able to see our majors through new or different lenses.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thatcher HurdJune 10, 2022 at 10:39 PM

    Hi Erik, I really enjoyed reading your week 1 blog post. I really liked how you differentiate technology and science, yet recognize they share many parallels. I was also very interested with your personal knowledge of philosophy and how this ties into the two fields of technology and science. I am very interested in philosophy and pushing the envelope with groundbreaking advancements and new ideologies. I thought this was a well thought and unique post with your application of prior knowledge and information. Nice work Erik.

    ReplyDelete

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