Celebrating the Sciences & the Humanities -- Part 1 of 2

Dear Members, Alumni, and Friends of the JSMT:

As we begin a new academic year, I’d like to share with you some reflections on the relationship between the sciences and the humanities – and why it’s important to have a well-rounded understanding and appreciation for both of these “compartments of knowledge” (although, IMHO, we need to break down the wall that separates them and reintegrate our over-compartmentalized worldview). :)

The Sciences and the Humanities: Partners in Time

An Interview with the Editor by Kelly Scott, Sophomore ACES James Scholar

Reprinted from Cursus Honorum VI: 2 (September 2005)

       Let’s stop and think for a moment. Is there really any linkage or relationship between the sciences and the humanities? They seem so different. For example, a major in the sciences such as Biology seems so unrelated to an English major in the field of the humanities. Yet after interviewing Rob Chappell, they seem so connected and dependent on one another.

       Rob began by explaining the history of this relationship. During the Middle Ages, there was no clear demarcation between the sciences and the humanities. All educated people during this time period studied all the “liberal arts,” which included sciences and humanities alike. But upon the rise of the Scientific Revolution, they began to separate from one another, making it seem as though they were completely disassociated altogether. Rob feels that we need to continue to work towards a day when the sciences and humanities are no longer seen as two different fields. We need to get back to the ideals of the Middle Ages when the two seemed compatible and held an essence of togetherness.

       After discussing the history of this relationship, Rob provided some very interesting examples of how the sciences and humanities work together. In the first example, Rob explained how we study the Universe through science by using telescopes and different scientific means to learn. Yet, if we think about it, the storytellers and mythmakers who lived centuries ago named the stars and planets. This inspired us to dream and wonder about space travel, which in turn has helped us learn more about our Universe scientifically. Rob illustrates the relationship well in this example.

       Another example that Rob conveyed was the relationship between scientists and authors. More specifically, Rob described how his favorite genre, science fiction, has helped scientists through the ages. Well-known science fiction authors such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells have written many books, which have then given scientists ideas for experiments after reading their books. Rob really makes a strong and solid point when he says, “Humanities provide context, enrich life, make life more interesting, and make YOU more interesting.”

       So what does all this mean for us as students at the U of I? Well, Rob explains the importance for us to understand and embrace this relationship. He says that employers are looking for well-rounded employees. When we graduate and go looking for a job, there is a much better chance that we will get hired if we know and have taken classes in both the humanities and the sciences. Rob tells us, “Don’t look at the humanities classes as a burden, but as an opportunity.” Most parts of our lives merge the sciences and humanities: “Everything is interconnected, because the sciences ask how and why things happen the way they do, but the humanities ask what those facts mean for us,” Rob says. I hope that we all can recognize the great importance of this relationship between the sciences and the humanities. In the end, this recognition will help to make us holistic and well-rounded people.

Two Scientific Poets: Aratus and Lucretius

By Rob Chappell, JSMT Advisor

Reprinted from Cursus Honorum IX: 10 (May/June 2009)

       The sciences and the humanities walked hand-in-hand during Classical antiquity as early researchers observed the natural world and poets popularized those discoveries by turning them into epic verse and singing them for interested audiences. Greek and Latin scientific poems could be regarded as the precursors of modern popular science writing. Two of the most notable versifying popularizers of ancient science whose works have been preserved for us are Aratus (ca. 315-240 BCE) and Lucretius (ca. 99-55 BCE).

       Aratus of Soli was a Greek poet from Anatolia (modern Turkey), and his most famous work is the Phenomena, a versified tour of the stars and constellations, which concluded with a description of “weather signs” that could be used to make predictions. His descriptions of the stars, their characteristics, and their apparent motions across the sky are considered to be extremely valuable. Aratus’ retellings of well-known astronomical myths and legends are very engaging, as his poetry turns the night sky into a cosmic storybook for everyone to enjoy.

       Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet who wrote his Latin masterpiece, De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), to explain his understanding of the Universe. Lucretius expounded the atomic theory of matter, described the unfolding of life on Earth through eons of time, proposed that the Universe was infinite and contained countless inhabited worlds, and used logic and reason to refute common superstitions of his time. Lucretius’ teachings on atomism and the infinity of the Universe were widely discussed and debated during the European Renaissance, as they helped to inspire many pioneers of the Scientific Revolution like Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) and Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).

       Across a gulf of more than two millennia, Aratus and Lucretius present us with a timely challenge: to “think outside the box” of our individual academic disciplines to envision a holistic worldview that satisfies both the mind and the heart. They also show us how rewarding a career in science education or scientific writing can be – and how edutaining it is to learn about scientific subjects in epic verse! :)

WEBLIOGRAPHY

•     http://www.theoi.com/Text/AratusPhaenomena.html (Aratus’ Phenomena)

•     http://www.intratext.com/Catalogo/Autori/AUT238.HTM (Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura)

•     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_science (Popular Science as a Literary Genre)

Until next time – keep looking up! :)

Rob