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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>It’s definitely a two cultures argument, but I think the quote was an updated version and nastier. Though I could be conflating after all this time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>In the bigger picture I guess the difference between Snow and the 1990s dialog was that Snow was bemoaning the separation of science and the humanities and limited engagement with science by non-specialists. Whereas in the science wars, scientists were complaining that humanities people were pretending to engage with science but messing it up or challenging its authority.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>Tom<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_MailEndCompose"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></a></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Lee Vinsel [mailto:lee.vinsel@gmail.com] <br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, October 21, 2016 2:35 PM<br><b>To:</b> Thomas Haigh <thomas.haigh@gmail.com><br><b>Cc:</b> sigcis <members@sigcis.org><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Science wars quote that scientists can teach English but not vice versa<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Tom,<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>I'm fairly certain that you are paraphrasing ideas from C. P. Snow's The Two Cultures, though the way I remember it is that scientists have some knowledge of literature whereas people in the humanities can't tell you what the laws of thermodynamics are. <o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>But maybe you have something else in mind. <o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Best,<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal>Lee<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Fri, Oct 21, 2016 at 3:32 PM, Thomas Haigh <<a href="mailto:thomas.haigh@gmail.com" target="_blank">thomas.haigh@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Hello SIGCIS,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>I was looking for a quote I recall reading in the days of the “science wars,” probably late-1990s, from a scientist saying something like: “If all the English professors got sick and we were called in then we would so an OK job teaching Shakespeare etc. based on what we know and the inherent triviality of the humanities. Whereas if the physics professors got sick then the humanities people would be completely unable to step in, because science is hard.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>I tried constructing Google searches and doing Amazon’s search inside the book on Sokal & Bricmont’s <i>Fashionable Nonsense</i> and similar targets, but didn’t locate it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>NB: I’m just looking for the source here, not for people eager to reignite the science wars by arguing for or against the proposition.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><br>Tom<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><br>_______________________________________________<br>This email is relayed from members at <a href="http://sigcis.org" target="_blank">sigcis.org</a>, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at <a href="http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/" target="_blank">http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/</a> and you can change your subscription options at <a href="http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org" target="_blank">http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><p class=MsoNormal><br><br clear=all><br>-- <o:p></o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Assistant Professor<br>Program on Science and Technology Studies<br>College of Arts and Letters<br>Stevens Institute of Technology<br>Hoboken, NJ 07030<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://leevinsel.com" target="_blank">leevinsel.com</a><br>Twitter: @STS_News<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>