--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: More than twenty years ago Sir Charles…" description: "\"“More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the literary/artistic and the scientific. My obser..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg" --- # More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the… ![“More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the literary/artistic and the scientific. My observations over the past decades, the evidence of current events, and the research and analysis that went into this volume all confirm that Snow was…” quote by Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg) > ““More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the literary/artistic and the scientific. My observations over the past decades, the evidence of current events, and the research and analysis that went into this volume all confirm that Snow was perceptive in identifying the problem, and entirely right to be very concerned about it. For a time, until the 1960s, a successful beginning was made toward raising a generation of humanists with a good grounding in the sciences, and scientists with significant basic knowledge in the humanities. Unfortunately, that movement toward education for “literacy” in both of the two cultures came to a halt with the ferment of unrest and the resulting lowering of standards and of course requirements that shook the universities at the end of the 1960s. Only now, more than a decade later, is there a significant movement toward higher standards and the education of a generation literate in both of the two cultures.”” [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The division between humanities and sciences persists, but recent efforts aim to bridge it through interdisciplinary education. **In simple terms:** Humanities and science need each other; collaboration is growing. Key Takeaway Promote cross‑disciplinary learning. Themes education interdisciplinary culture history policy Mood thoughtful optimistic Type analysis call to action When to use this quote - university curricula - research projects - policy making Key Concepts cognitive integration public understanding academic reform Questions to Reflect On - What incentives encourage interdisciplinary study? - How can curricula balance depth and breadth? A Different Perspective Resistance from entrenched departments can slow progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Current events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/current-events/) [Generation Humanists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-humanists-237165/) [Humanities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanities/) [Knowledge Humanities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-humanities-237167/) [Literacy Cultures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literacy-cultures-237166/) [Literate Cultures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literate-cultures-237164/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [What I hope is that those with the knowledge of the humanities break into the closed society where code gets written: invade it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/what-i-hope-is-that-those-with-the-knowledge-of-the-humanities-break/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [“Why Humanities Matter (Sonnet 2443) There's not one but two kinds of knowledge, one is empirical, another is existential. Maths, physics, chemistry, biology, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/why-humanities-matter-sonnet-2443-there-s-not-one-but-two-kinds-of/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the separation of history from myth and the increased individualism based on highly specialized knowledge. In literate cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/two-intellectual-consequences-of-literacy-were-the-separation-of/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“We don’t normally think of it as such, but writing is a technology, which means that a literate person is someone whose thought processes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/we-don-t-normally-think-of-it-as-such-but-writing-is-a-technology/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [If you look at photojournalism, it's largely driven by current events... always chasing a crisis or disaster. I follow a narrative that is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/if-you-look-at-photojournalism-it-s-largely-driven-by-current-events/) [Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/) > [Bond is the longest-running franchise ever and there's a reason for that: they are action movies but they are also touched by current events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-bardem/bond-is-the-longest-running-franchise-ever-and-there-s-a-reason-for/) [Javier Bardem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-bardem/) > [“Remind me," Jubal said to her, "to write a popular article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/remind-me-jubal-said-to-her-to-write-a-popular-article-on-the/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“To the extent that propaganda is based on current news, it cannot permit time for thought or reflection. A man caught up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/to-the-extent-that-propaganda-is-based-on-current-news-it-cannot/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [I come from a newspaper background, so maybe I'm attuned to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-come-from-a-newspaper-background-so-maybe-i-m-attuned-to-current/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [“Because history became his (Keenan's) genuine passion, he tended to see the world in terms of deep historical forces that, in his mind, formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/because-history-became-his-keenan-s-genuine-passion-he-tended-to-see/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [I hate recording all the shows for the week in one day, because I want to be able to mention current events and pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-hate-recording-all-the-shows-for-the-week-in-one-day-because-i-want/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [“For some politics has become a battle ground that allows them to vent their frustrations, while at the same time hide behind the anonymity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/for-some-politics-has-become-a-battle-ground-that-allows-them-to-vent/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [“Sadly, racial, ethnic, and cultural hatred and intolerance are not just history, they are current events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/sadly-racial-ethnic-and-cultural-hatred-and-intolerance-are-not-just/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“Educators and psychologists have a mantra these days: No matter how hectic the schedules of your family members may be, make time to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lythcott-haims/educators-and-psychologists-have-a-mantra-these-days-no-matter-how/) [Julie Lythcott-Haims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lythcott-haims/) > [With comedy, the jokes will come out, and people will see them coming. Changes in daily life or current events can change the consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/with-comedy-the-jokes-will-come-out-and-people-will-see-them-coming/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) ## More by Gerard K. O'Neill > [“Next my guide explained that we would travel to Erie on an underground high-speed vehicle called a "floater," which ran in vacuum through a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/next-my-guide-explained-that-we-would-travel-to-erie-on-an/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“At the other extreme, and far less threatening, will be the "house computer" of 2081. It will store all the information from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/at-the-other-extreme-and-far-less-threatening-will-be-the-house/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“few dozen" wise, unselfish sages,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/few-dozen-wise-unselfish-sages/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“To minimize the sense of confinement, one of our video channels provided a breathtaking view of our journey, as seen from a helicopter flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/to-minimize-the-sense-of-confinement-one-of-our-video-channels/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [We should ask, critically and with appeal to the numbers, whether the best site for a growing advancing industrial society is Earth, the Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/we-should-ask-critically-and-with-appeal-to-the-numbers-whether-the/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“She showed me the controls for the stereo, the video, and the lights, and added that if I just spoke in a normal tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/she-showed-me-the-controls-for-the-stereo-the-video-and-the-lights/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“We is still banned in the USSR.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/we-is-still-banned-in-the-ussr/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“It would be quite feasible to project materials from the Moon's surface down to Earth by means of electrically powered catapults or launching tracks,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-would-be-quite-feasible-to-project-materials-from-the-moon-s/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“It's an established fact that the very few naturally gifted "born teachers" are enormously more effective than the great mass of those in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-s-an-established-fact-that-the-very-few-naturally-gifted-born/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [It is the hope of those who work toward the breakout from planet Earth that the establishment of permanent, self-sustaining colonies of humans off-Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/it-is-the-hope-of-those-who-work-toward-the-breakout-from-planet/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“The venerable Walt Disney commercial empire had established around the turn of the century one of the largest "theme parks" in the country, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/the-venerable-walt-disney-commercial-empire-had-established-around/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“All of the homes, shops, and office buildings in Waterford are linked by an underground package-transfer network that uses the "floater" technology. It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/all-of-the-homes-shops-and-office-buildings-in-waterford-are-linked/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“Once that day a chime sounded and the video told us of congestion two hundred kilometers ahead, near Chicago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/once-that-day-a-chime-sounded-and-the-video-told-us-of-congestion-two/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“Before engineers and scientists had acquired experience with large quantities of liquid hydrogen, they were fearful of its explosive properties. Now, though, after several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/before-engineers-and-scientists-had-acquired-experience-with-large/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) > [“Electricity has just two disadvantages: it is difficult to store cheaply, and it can be transmitted easily only on high-voltage lines, above the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/electricity-has-just-two-disadvantages-it-is-difficult-to-store/) [Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) [Explore all 51 Gerard K. O'Neill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/) ## More Current events quotes > [With comedy, the jokes will come out, and people will see them coming. Changes in daily life or current events can change the consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/with-comedy-the-jokes-will-come-out-and-people-will-see-them-coming/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [“Educators and psychologists have a mantra these days: No matter how hectic the schedules of your family members may be, make time to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lythcott-haims/educators-and-psychologists-have-a-mantra-these-days-no-matter-how/) [Julie Lythcott-Haims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lythcott-haims/) > [“Sadly, racial, ethnic, and cultural hatred and intolerance are not just history, they are current events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/sadly-racial-ethnic-and-cultural-hatred-and-intolerance-are-not-just/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“For some politics has become a battle ground that allows them to vent their frustrations, while at the same time hide behind the anonymity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/for-some-politics-has-become-a-battle-ground-that-allows-them-to-vent/) [Captain Hank Bracker, The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba/) > [I hate recording all the shows for the week in one day, because I want to be able to mention current events and pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-hate-recording-all-the-shows-for-the-week-in-one-day-because-i-want/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [“Because history became his (Keenan's) genuine passion, he tended to see the world in terms of deep historical forces that, in his mind, formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/because-history-became-his-keenan-s-genuine-passion-he-tended-to-see/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [I come from a newspaper background, so maybe I'm attuned to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-come-from-a-newspaper-background-so-maybe-i-m-attuned-to-current/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [“To the extent that propaganda is based on current news, it cannot permit time for thought or reflection. A man caught up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/to-the-extent-that-propaganda-is-based-on-current-news-it-cannot/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [“Remind me," Jubal said to her, "to write a popular article on the compulsive reading of news. The theme will be that most neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/remind-me-jubal-said-to-her-to-write-a-popular-article-on-the/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Bond is the longest-running franchise ever and there's a reason for that: they are action movies but they are also touched by current events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-bardem/bond-is-the-longest-running-franchise-ever-and-there-s-a-reason-for/) [Javier Bardem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-bardem/) > [If you look at photojournalism, it's largely driven by current events... always chasing a crisis or disaster. I follow a narrative that is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/if-you-look-at-photojournalism-it-s-largely-driven-by-current-events/) [Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/) > [“This week in live current events: your eyes. All power can be dangerous: Direct or alternating, you, socket to me. Plugged in and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/this-week-in-live-current-events-your-eyes-all-power-can-be-dangerous/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [The cool thing about Snapchat is you can get a lot of news on there now. There's CNN, ESPN, and I find myself reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klay-thompson/the-cool-thing-about-snapchat-is-you-can-get-a-lot-of-news-on-there/) [Klay Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klay-thompson/) > [To me, the real 'state of the union' is found in how Americans react to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/to-me-the-real-state-of-the-union-is-found-in-how-americans-react-to/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“of the most cruel class struggle” in higher education over “the question who will be master.” Reflecting the confidence of the cells, the conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-david-fox/of-the-most-cruel-class-struggle-in-higher-education-over-the/) [Michael David-Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-david-fox/) [Browse all 143 Current events quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/current-events/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the literary/artistic and the scientific. My observations over the past decades, the evidence of current events, and the research and analysis that went into this volume all confirm that Snow was perceptive in identifying the problem, and entirely right to be very concerned about it. For a time, until the 1960s, a successful beginning was made toward raising a generation of humanists with a good grounding in the sciences, and scientists with significant basic knowledge in the humanities. Unfortunately, that movement toward education for “literacy” in both of the two cultures came to a halt with the ferment of unrest and the resulting lowering of standards and of course requirements that shook the universities at the end of the 1960s. Only now, more than a decade later, is there a significant movement toward higher standards and the education of a generation literate in both of the two cultures.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gerard K. O'Neill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-snow-lamented-the-sharp/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Current events" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-snow-lamented-the-sharp/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/gerard-k-o-neill-12872_current-events_more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-s_2427489.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“More than twenty years ago Sir Charles Snow lamented the sharp division between “The Two Cultures,” the…” — Gerard K. O'Neill", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gerard K. O'Neill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“More than twenty years ago Sir...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-snow-lamented-the-sharp/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/more-than-twenty-years-ago-sir-charles-snow-lamented-the-sharp/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```