The Two Cultures (Canto) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Stefan Collini (Introduction) "It is about three years since I made a sketch in print of a problem which had been on my mind for some time..." (more)
Key Phrases: primal things, original lecture, pure scientists, Rede Lecture, United States

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Probably the most important statement on the role of science in society yet available." Discovery

Product 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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521457300
• ISBN-13: 978-0521457309
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #120,798 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snow compares scientists and literary intellectuals., July 24, 1997

By A Customer

In today's society, Liberal Arts people call scientists "nerds." Scientists call liberal arts people "fuzzies" or "bohemians." Both hold misconceptions about each other that are sometimes true and sometimes not. This classic book talks about and tries to promote cooperation between these "two cultures." Writing about his experience as a person trained in science but pursuing a writing career, Snow precisely identifies the problems of the two cultures miscommunicating with each other. It was written in the late 1950s, in Britain, so the American reader might not understand all the references. Still, Snow's work has influenced a wide range of contemporary thinkers, and has been in no small part an influence on the "writing across the curriculum" movement in American universities. Whether you are interested in the humanities or the sciences, this book clearly will show you the tensions you will face dealing with the "other culture," and the problems such stereotypes pose for mod

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars historic document, with intro essay, October 24, 2004

By	Sam Torrisi (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only Essential Reading, December 16, 2001

By	Robert Carrington (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book defines the irrational and dangerous gulf that divides our artistic-intellectual community from our scientific. Its first publication was explosive, its effect historic. Written with the grace of a major novelist and the elegance of pure scientist, it was, and is, an original. A true original. Of how many books can one say, "It changed the way we think?" This single, short book did exactly that. It does that still.

Let's call it a must read.