Week 1: Two Cultures

With being a Cognitive Science major at UCLA, I understand and relate a lot with the paper “Toward and Third Culture: Being in Between”. They understand that there are two differences between the art of science and the biological aspect of science. My major is incorporated with both and often times I see myself between these two phenomenons. I see that there is a psychological and reasoning aspect to why the brain acts the way it does but in my neurology classes I see there is also a neurological aspect. 

(Huntington Outdoor, Science or Art)

This perspective allows me to see the world in two different ways which I believe is truly a gift. I have many friends who are solely focused on Biology and what they learn is very concrete. They don’t really see the art of science the way I feel I do. Taking a Cognitive Psychology class at UCLA was enlightening because it allowed me to see the different ways in why humans act the way they do and how different neuronal connections and brain regions affect this. Once we bridge the gap between this, it allows us to have future inventions which can impact our lives tremendously. There is robotic arms and legs that change people's lives and this was done between the help of both science and psychology. Our brain psychology thinks that our amputated body part is still present, and this allows the neural connections in our brain to expand to the amputated body part which allows the body part to still function. So, once this robotic arm came, there have been no complications because it acts as a normal body part with the mind assuming its real and the neuronal function working normally. 

(Columbia Chronicle, Robotic Inventions)

 I hope to become a physician one day and in order to do this I need to be able to communicate with my patients on more than just a biological level. I also need to understand why they are feeling the way they do. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and this is an issue I feel strongly about that should be practiced in all hospitals globally. 

(Mental Health Awareness)

References:

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. 

Print.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.

Kelly, Kevin. "The Third Culture" Science 13 February 1998: Vol. 279 no. 5353 pp. 992-993. Web.

Parella-Aureli, Ariel. "Robots are coming-but to help, not take over. Columbia Chronicle. April 2017. Chicago, IL. Web. 

Szelk, ELizabeth. Finding way to Mental Health. Mad in America. April 2017. Web.