Blog #1: March 13-2014: Are You a Science or Humanities Person (or Both)?

My name is Sibyla, I am a current student in LaGuardia Community College; in the summer of 2014 I will be obtaining my Associate degree of Liberal Arts in Social Sciences and Humanities. As of now I have a list of both long and short term goals, which I will try my best to accomplish.

My main goal is to be part of the healthcare field, I am particularly interested in the field of radiology and I would like to become a Registered Radiologic Technologist with a specialization in nuclear medicine. In the fall of 2014, I plan to transfer to the New York City College of Technology, the Eugenio María de Hostos Community College or SUNY Downstate in order to start working towards my degree in Radiological Science. After receiving my Bachelor of Science, I plan to specialize in Nuclear Medicine; although I have also thought about becoming specialized in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (M.R.I) or Computed Tomography (C.T). Being Liberal Arts major has required me to take courses that have improved my communication and critical thinking skills. Even though, my major is not related to the allied health field, I am satisfied with the education that I have received thus far, because I feel like it has laid the educational groundwork that I need for the future.

As previously mentioned my ultimate career goal is not specifically related to my current major, consequently at the mention of this most people usually ask why did I not major in LA: Math and Science, but I am glad I was able to learn about subjects that include Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology, Literature, and Foreign Languages, I feel like over all the Humanities has given me a broader view of life as well as a stronger educational backbone and has helped me to further improve and advance within my field of interest which is the natural Sciences.

In my opinion I feel like both concentrations are equally important and should be required as fields of study while studying any profession. I do not believe either Science or Humanism should be minimized when compared to one another, since both have been crucial to the history, the development and the general progression of human civilization; moreover both have the overall advancement of the human species as well as its origin as a chief priority. Humanism is a “philosophy based on a belief in the supreme importance of human beings and human values (www.oxfordreference.com), it is evident that it functions on rationality, logic, and thought just as Science does, although one cannot ignore some of the differences between the two. One main difference is that Science utilizes the scientific method in order to prove or dismantle any theories, as it is defined in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, it is the “knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation”(www.Merriamwebster.com). Furthermore, I consider myself to be both a Science and Humanities person, because I feel that both disciplines are essential areas of study in order to have renaissance mind, in addition I support the main idea behind Humanism which focuses in the importance of humanity and its values, likewise I also commend and appreciate facts, studies, discoveries and theories that have come about in the name of science. In terms of the advancement of technology itself, I consider it to be the result of the coming together of both fields of study, since critical thinking, human flair, science, art, and skill are all necessary abilities that must be employed together. However, technology as helpful and necessary as it may be especially in the 21^st century, is a complex issue since unfortunately it may sometimes follow The Law of Unintended Consequences, because when one intervenes with technology sometimes we do not know what we are going to get, which can ultimately lead to “a perverse effect contrary to what was originally intended (when an intended solution makes a problem worse)” (www.wikipedia.com).

            Although in my opinion there is a downside to technology, I suppose most people in the United States feel positive about it, because we are a consumer nation, in addition to being bombarded by ads that advertise the latest gizmos and gadgets of this generation such as tablets, cell phones, and computers, that are made to sound simply indispensable to our current existence; all things considered we are currently living in a digital age which speaks for itself. In terms of the popular perspective on the issue of science as a way of understanding the world, I believe is something which is more or less based on personal values, education, background and religion rather than a general viewpoint; especially religious beliefs being a major determining factor because if there is a contender to the field of science other than what many people would believe it to be Humanism is Religion and its institutions.