Inspirational Quotes by C. P. Snow (British Novelist, Scientist)

C. P. Snow (1905–80,) born Charles Percy Snow, was a British novelist, scientist, and government administrator known for his influential works on the relationship between science and society. He is best known for his series of novels known collectively as Strangers and Brothers, and for The Two Cultures, a 1959 lecture in which he laments the gulf between scientists and “literary intellectuals.”

Born in Leicester, England, Snow graduated from Leicester University and earned a doctorate in physics at Cambridge, where, at the age of 25, he became a fellow of Christ’s College. After working at Cambridge in molecular physics for some 20 years, he became a university administrator, and with the outbreak of World War II, he became a scientific adviser to the British government.

Snow gained widespread recognition with his novel Strangers and Brothers (1951,) which is part of a series exploring the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in contemporary society. One of his most notable contributions is the essay The Two Cultures (1959,) where he argued that there is a deep divide between the sciences and the humanities, advocating for greater dialogue between the two fields. This work sparked significant debate about the role of education and intellectual discourse in the modern world.

Throughout his career, Snow wrote numerous novels and essays, including The Masters (1951) and Homecomings (1963.) Many of Snow’s writings on science and culture are found in Public Affairs (1971.) Trollope: His Life and Art (1975) exemplifies Snow’s powers in literary criticism, as does The Realists: Eight Portraits (1979.)

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