Across UT-Austin, professors and thousands of students work in search of new discoveries in science while others focus on expanding our understanding of human interactions and history. Outside the university-setting, these disciplines play off of each other, informing study in the broader context of discovery. In academia, however, these disciplines rarely meet in the middle.

This week, two contributors make the case for a closer relationship between the sciences and complementary fields in the humanities.

Author Joshua Roebke addresses that all-too-familiar gap between the sciences and the humanities. Whether or not it is viewed from the perspective of methodology, subject matter or public funding, academia draws a clear dividing line between the arts and sciences. However, Roebke contends that an interdisciplinary approach is vital and that the various fields in the humanities can inform the pursuit of scientific discovery.

Government sophomore Kate Diller argues that science is crucial to the formation of legislation, despite many policymakers’ tendency to avoid it. Diller believes that proponents of science must become more active within the political system, either by voting or getting involved in organizations of scientists engaged in activism.

As always, if you have perspectives on this subject or any other, please reach out to The Daily Texan Forum team at [email protected].

Nemawarkar is a Plan II and government junior from Austin. Shirvaikar is a math and economics junior from Frisco. Anderson is a Plan II and history sophomore from Houston.