Institutional dichotomy
Encyclopedia
Institutional dichotomy, according to John Wolfenden (responsible for the Wolfenden Report
), in his essay The Gap — The Bridge, states that the dichotomization of intellectual disciplines by education
al institutions, specifically collegiate institutions
, is to blame for the communication gap between specialists in different fields.
Forced to pursue contrasting disciplines in college, students diverge from the broad educational background established in high school and pursue narrower studies. As a result, these students lose contact with the shared basis of their education as they venture into separate abstract studies. In effect, the communication gap of collegiate students widens as they become saturated with a curriculum of abstractions that relate to a single area of study.
For instance, a college freshman chooses mathematics
as his field of study while another chooses English
. As they study, the two students become grossly out of touch as they adapt to new languages which will soon serve as a code in their future careers. The mathematics student becomes consumed by symbols and numbers while the English student immerses himself in a sea of classical literary styles and grammatical
mechanics. Consequently, the students soon become ill-equipped to communicate with each other. The mathematics student now becomes "illiterate" by standards of the English major and the English major becomes "innumerate" by standards of the mathematics major.
Because knowledge is increasing, some fragmentation of disciplines is inevitable. The problem with fragmentation is that students are forced to live in ignorance of studies outside of their fields.
, 1959
Wolfenden report
The Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution was published in Britain on 4 September 1957 after a succession of well-known men, including Lord Montagu, Michael Pitt-Rivers and Peter Wildeblood, were convicted of homosexual offences.-The committee:The...
), in his essay The Gap — The Bridge, states that the dichotomization of intellectual disciplines by education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al institutions, specifically collegiate institutions
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, is to blame for the communication gap between specialists in different fields.
Forced to pursue contrasting disciplines in college, students diverge from the broad educational background established in high school and pursue narrower studies. As a result, these students lose contact with the shared basis of their education as they venture into separate abstract studies. In effect, the communication gap of collegiate students widens as they become saturated with a curriculum of abstractions that relate to a single area of study.
For instance, a college freshman chooses mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
as his field of study while another chooses English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. As they study, the two students become grossly out of touch as they adapt to new languages which will soon serve as a code in their future careers. The mathematics student becomes consumed by symbols and numbers while the English student immerses himself in a sea of classical literary styles and grammatical
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
mechanics. Consequently, the students soon become ill-equipped to communicate with each other. The mathematics student now becomes "illiterate" by standards of the English major and the English major becomes "innumerate" by standards of the mathematics major.
Because knowledge is increasing, some fragmentation of disciplines is inevitable. The problem with fragmentation is that students are forced to live in ignorance of studies outside of their fields.
Analogy of institutional dichotomy
Many believe it would only be prudent to create a bridge between contrasting studies because doing so would prevent intellectual chaos which, in effect, could disrupt humanity's quest for universal knowledge. Chauncey L. Covington, likens the formation of institutional dichotomy with ancient African tribes. Due to the scarceness of vegetation and meat centuries ago, tribes that were once united were forced to disperse in search of food. The more they spread out, the more culturally fragmented they became. As a result, this simple behaviour eventually spawned hundreds of distinctive languages and cultures among people who were once the same. Sadly, when these tribes later meet by chance, they find unfamiliar cultures, resulting in cultural chaos. However, there is no source for this claim because it is laughable to think someone would publish such ridiculous trash.See also
The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C. P. SnowC. P. Snow
Charles Percy Snow, Baron Snow of the City of Leicester CBE was an English physicist and novelist who also served in several important positions with the UK government...
, 1959