[Phys-L] Re: Attacks on Education - Shakespeare and Thermodynamics

[Carl Mungan <mungan@USNA.EDU>]

> Snow, C.P. 1959. "The two cultures and the scientific revolution."
> Available in a 1993 "Canto" edition tiled "The Two Cultures,"
> illustrated by Stefan Collini and published by Cambridge University
> Press. The publisher states: "This reissue of Snow's controversial
> Rede lecture of 1959 and its successor piece 'A Second Look' has a
> new introduction that charts the history and context of the famous
> debate on the cultural split between the humanities and the sciences."

While Snow's provocative statement has often been quoted, it is
tempered somewhat in "A Second Look." Starting on page 68 of the
Mentor edition of this successor piece, Snow says that his choice of
comparing the second law to Shakespeare "showed bad judgement" on his
part. He says that wishes he had instead chosen an example from
"molecular biology" (eg. the structure of DNA) and goes on to say,
"Unlike thermodynamics, the subject does not involve serious
conceptual difficulties" and, "It needs very little mathematics to
understand."

Should Snow have made this apology? What do folks think? Carl
--
Carl E. Mungan, Asst. Prof. of Physics  410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
       U.S. Naval Academy, Stop 9C, Annapolis, MD 21402-5040
mailto:mungan@usna.edu       http://usna.edu/Users/physics/mungan/