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From: jimb@ism780
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: It could have been worse.
Message-ID: <60000003@ism780>
Date: Sat, 8-Mar-86 18:55:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ism780.60000003
Posted: Sat Mar  8 18:55:00 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 11-Mar-86 01:36:09 EST
References: <678780@<860222195435>
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Nf-ID: #R:<860222195435:678780:ism780:60000003:000:2061
Nf-From: ism780!jimb    Mar  8 15:55:00 1986



>> But the thing I find most offensive about this posting is the slam
>> against people with liberal arts backgrounds. Perhaps some of the
>> semi-literate chemists and physicists I've known can study their
>> culture, instead of taking classes on overspecialized topics that tell
>> them nothing about why they're narrow-minded, asocial, and incapable
>> of communication. Liberal arts bigotry is as ridiculous and offensive
>> as hard science bigotry, n'est-ce pas? Sheesh.

>  While it is uncommon to cross the two cultures, it is usually the
>  scientist who tries/succeeds.

> =  Bill Ingogly

>> = Matthew P. Weiner

Bullsh*t!  As someone who is more-or-less tri-cultural (hard science, social
science, the arts), I find that tolerance/acceptance/understanding across the
chasms is pretty low all the way around.  But in general, more of the liberal
arts types will admit that they don't understand scientific/technical points
of view and are willing to be educated.  More "techies" either *think* they
have a superior understanding of social sciences/liberal arts or discount it
as meaningless.  (The pure arts people seem to be in their own world; even I
have trouble relating to some of them.)

A side consideration is what society values and labels intelligence.  At this
point in history, math and verbal skills are "in," leaving people with other
kinds of intelligence sucking hind tit.  The "techies" dominate in the
math-oriented skills and the liberal arts types dominate in the verbal,
leading to all sorts of "Tastes great!  Less filling!" confrontations.
Personally, I benefit from this; my abilities are such that I move
among both groups with moderate ease and I earn a very decent living
essentially acting as an intepreter between the two groups.  From a more
distant perspective, though, "Feh!"  Society is the less for the division and
many individuals are poorer for it in terms of unfulfilled potential.

			     -- from the musings of Jim Brunet

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