Kahn Jonathan
Hamline University School of Law, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104, USA.
Perspect Biol Med. 2011 Summer;54(3):399-408. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2011.0028.
C. P. Snow's famous Two Cultures essay has become a foil for decades of discussions over the relation between science and the humanities. The problem of the "two cultures" is often framed in terms of how the particular epistemological claims or general intellectual orientations of particular individuals on either side of this purported divide obstruct interdisciplinary dialogue or cooperation. This formulation, however, fails to consider the institutional frameworks within which such debates occur. This article examines the broader structural constraints that provide incentives, erect barriers, or otherwise shape the potential for interdisciplinary research and practice, with particular attention to work involving the life sciences. It argues that in order to understand the nature and scope of the problems facing interdisciplinary work, we must focus on the institutional constraints that shape how individuals frame questions, pursue investigations, develop careers, and collaborate.
C.P.斯诺著名的《两种文化》一文成为了数十年来关于科学与人文关系讨论的陪衬。“两种文化”问题常常被框定在这样的层面：即这一所谓分歧两边特定个体的特定认识论主张或总体知识取向如何阻碍跨学科对话或合作。然而，这种表述未能考虑此类辩论发生的制度框架。本文考察了更广泛的结构限制因素，这些因素提供激励、设置障碍或以其他方式塑造跨学科研究与实践的可能性，尤其关注涉及生命科学的工作。文章认为，为了理解跨学科工作所面临问题的性质和范围，我们必须关注那些塑造个体如何提出问题、进行研究、发展职业以及开展合作的制度限制因素。
