The ‘Two Cultures’ Debate and the Logic of Scientific Revolutions

This third chapter presents two major arguments. First, it discusses C. P. Snow’s ‘two cultures’ view. Throughout modern times, our culture has been divided into two spheres: science and the humanities. The wisdoms that these two cultures offer are separated from each other, with little to no interaction or mutual understanding. Second, I explore Thomas Kuhn’s theory of the ‘structure of scientific revolutions’. According to Kuhn, phases of ‘normal science’, when experiments provide findings within the framework of existing, approved rules for problem-solving, are interrupted by ‘paradigm shifts’, when methodologies, worldviews and the rules of the game are questioned. The chapter introduces the concepts of ‘complexity’, ‘risk’ and ‘uncertainty’.