The Two Cultures (Canto)
By:
C. P. Snow
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Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Description:
The notion that our society, its education system and its intellectual life, is characterized by a split between two cultures--the arts or humanities on one hand, and the sciences on the other--has a long history. The reissue of The Two Cultures and its successor piece, A Second Look (in which Snow responded to the controversy four years later) has a new introduction by Stefan Collini, charting the history and context of the debate, its implications and its afterlife.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Definitive then, definitive now - This was formative of my two cultures career. The updates to the 1959 lecture really only serve to emphasize how right Snow was in the first place. There is a contemporary preface by a "lit crit" that shows that the insularity of the two cultures persists. Yes, scientists should read and talk more. But the literary types should at least learn their times tables. I don't think that will do it, however. You have to be interested in things and how things work as well as in ideas. A great and fast read. The essay itself is barely 51 large-type pages.
Customer Review: 3 out of 5
Must read for anyone interested in the culture wars - This is the classic essay that brought into focus the contrast between the "two cultures," i.e. the sciences and the humanities. It simply is a must read for anyone who is seriously interested in the recent and to some extent still ongoing culture wars, in particular the clash between postmodernism and scientism. Snow's original lecture constitutes the central part of this book, but the historical preface is just as valuable to provide the reader with the proper context and follow-up to the controversy. I found Snow's own update, on the other hand, rather superfluous. It was probably written too soon after the original, without leaving sufficient time for interesting developments to unfold. The Kindle edition is well formatted.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
The Two Cultures - I read the original as a convocation assignment when i went off to college in 1963. The history update in this volume is very useful and interseting to me. The original concept is also still interesting which probably means it is a good book as well as an influential one for education.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
Arguments about taking social responsibility - In this book, Sir Charles P. Snow examines what he sees as a splitting of the intelligentsia into two subcultures, the literary and the scientific. He cites anecdotal evidence of how ignorant literary figures are concerning fundamental scientific principles and how few works of literature have been read by the typical scientist. Snow is certainly qualified to see both sides of this issue. During World War II, he was in charge of the British program of scientific recruitment and is a first-class novelist. He also notes conservative/liberal tendencies among various groups within the scientific community.
He is of course correct, but the splitting is an inevitable consequence of the advance of science. As the amount of knowledge about a field of science grows, it takes more time and effort to succeed in the field. With the increase in commitment, there is less time for the individual to pursue other interests. However, that is not a wholly satisfactory excuse. Scientists are also part of the human condition and are almost always members of the advantaged class. Snow argues that they should be cognizant of the plight of the poor around the world and understand their moral obligation to try to alleviate poverty.
Scientists are often and justifiably considered to possess an intellectually narrow focus. Snow is very articulate in pointing out that society is damaged when some of the best and brightest remove themselves from the search for solutions to the current problems. Even though great advances have taken place in science in the forty years since Snow put forward these observations, they are just as valid as they were then. There is a lot of common ground between the literary and scientific communities, and Snow explains why it is critical that both sides occupy as much of it as possible. All people who are concerned with the problems of modern society should read this book.
Customer Review: 4 out of 5
historic document, with intro essay - The Two Cultures is probably more famous as an idea which ignited discussion than as the lecture it is. This edition of C.P. Snow's classic includes a brilliant introduction by Stefan Collini. I'm surprised that none of the other reviewers mention this portion of the edition, a substantial 64 pages, because for me it was the most interesting read. That is, only after having read The Two Cultures and a follow-up essay by Snow and pondered what may still apply today in his argument I went back and read the Collini. His introduction put Snow's work in its proper historical contexts (those of post-war Britain as well as Snow's own life) and updates us with some of the major points of the historical discourse that followed. I recommend that Collini's essay is read after Snow's, and together they make a very fine read.
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