Kindle
$0.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$13.95
Paperback
$6.50
Kindle Price: $0.99

Save $6.50 (87%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $3.67

Save: $0.18 (5%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

C. P. Snow
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution Kindle Edition

by C P Snow (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 217 ratings
See all formats and editions
This is the publication of the influential 1959 Rede Lecture by British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow. Its thesis was that "the intellectual life of the whole of western society" was split into the titular two cultures - namely the sciences and the humanities - and that this was a major hindrance to solving the world's problems. Published in book form, Snow's lecture was widely read and discussed on both sides of the Atlantic, leading him to write a 1963 follow-up, "The Two Cultures: And a Second Look: An Expanded Version of The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution."
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    55 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Barakaldo Books
  5. Publication date
    November 19, 2020
  6. File size
    592 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08NTYVJC2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Barakaldo Books (November 19, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 19, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 592 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 55 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 217 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
C. P. Snow

C. P. Snow

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
217 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Z06IWC405
5.0 out of 5 stars You can lead a horse to water
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Snow describes what has become a permanent rift between Thinkers and Doers at the University level, as well as their own effects across education in his UK, as well as the U.S. and USSR.

At the time, it seamed feasible that the West bring the industrial and now scientific revolution to the 3rd World in order to save the 3rd World or, as he warns, the Communists will do it first.

Well over half a century later, we can see the third world has been industrialized, both to their benefit and detriment. These nations have ample natural resources as well as man power, but they're not going to ever climb out of the tried world until they want to do it for themselves. It's not our responsibility anymore... we tried, we are bringing the third world into the West and it is destroying the West, literally.
Helpful
 Report
Sigsaga
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important reads to understand how we got here.....
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is one of the more important books in terms of understanding the current state of our republic. It was written four decades after the start of the Woodrow Wilson’s progressive movement, and Snow managed to clearly see the impending educational imbalance that was gaining a foothold in the US. Wilson believed that most people were incapable of guiding their own lives, and therefore was a strong proponent of government control. Having been the president of Princeton for a period, Wilson was enamored with education, not in the sense of the applied sciences, but more so in developing academics that could form the administrative state needed to support his progressive dogma.

Snow, through his research, developed The Two Cultures by clarifying the split between pure and applied science, but was overly optimistic in his future view. He believed that applied science would self-correct in our country, but did not anticipate many of our institutions of higher learning becoming mutated into liberal arts programs focusing on political dogma versus preparing our youth for careers that support means of production and the economic stability of our republic. The last 8-10 pages are illuminating but also disheartening – I will let the reader absorb that portion and make their own conclusions.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wendy, PA
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and easy to read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
Thought provoking. Interesting to compare with today's society. How China has changed the world order and the laziness and blindness in America and Europe has allowed it in a relatively short time. Wake up!
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ijon Tichy
5.0 out of 5 stars Profound
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book may appear somewhat dated, but it is still highly relevant. Seeking the sources of the disconnect between the scientific and literary worlds in the latter's refusal to acknowledge the positive impact of the industrial revolution is brilliant. Also Snow's discussion of the rift between the pure academic research / science and the applied research / engineering is spot on.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
D. S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Find, buy, or borrow -- but read it.
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
One of the great essays on the decline of the liberal arts curriculum. I read this as a teen in the 60s, and it's influenced me as a student, a parent, a citizen, and now a student again in retirement. I'm loaning it around my departments (math and physics) at my university, and to my delight most of the "hard science" faculty agree that this is a serious problem.
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
David Latham
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you wanted to understand why our political worlds are so divided this explains it very well. Pseudo intellectuals who've never actually produced anything "thinking" they have all the answers to the worlds problems. While those of us who work and build and create take all the blame from the aforementioned group. Very Insightful.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Michael E. Nader
5.0 out of 5 stars This was a gift to my 16 year old granddaughter ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
This was a gift to my 16 year old granddaughter who intends to pursue a career in quantum physics. I had hope that this little book might let her see that both the sciences AND the arts contribute greatly to the general culture.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Old Roy
4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate prophecy
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2021
Verified Purchase
Accurate Predictions
A lot of information is dated, but the predictions are descriptive of our time,, in that few are trained to do manual work.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
CandelarioJulian
3.0 out of 5 stars El producto llegó dañado
Reviewed in Mexico on June 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
El producto me llegó dañado
Customer image
CandelarioJulian
3.0 out of 5 stars El producto llegó dañado
Reviewed in Mexico on June 8, 2020
El producto me llegó dañado
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
Report
S.D. Manoli
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Every scientist should read this
Report
Gema
5.0 out of 5 stars Rapidez
Reviewed in Spain on May 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Todo perfecto y muy rápido
Report
Bill
5.0 out of 5 stars tour de force
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Are Science and Humanities two cultures still separated by a gaping divide...were they ever? Written more than half a century ago, this exquisitely presented hypothesis remains a fabulous read, or re-read, for anyone interested in a challenging viewpoint on how the world works, or doesn't...as one contemporary reviewer notes, this lecture alone justifies support for thinkers in their ivory towers
Report
Trevor Smithson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful recap on recent history
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
A remarkable inside into people and history in recent post war years - the dilemmas.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report