Summary of the Article Excerpt:
This article excerpt argues that the biggest threat to the humanities isn’t a lack of “relevance” or financial pressures, but rather the growing perception – fueled by AI like ChatGPT – that knowledge should be easily and quickly accessible. The author, a humanities professor, contends that the humanities thrive on difficulty and rigorous inquiry for its own sake, and attempting to make them “relevant” by simplifying content or focusing solely on practicality is a misguided and ultimately damaging approach.
Here are the key points:
* The Problem: Students are increasingly accustomed to frictionless access to data and are less willing to engage in the difficult, sustained effort required by humanities study (close reading, complex thought). AI tools exacerbate this, making it easy to outsource intellectual work.
* The Futility of “Relevance”: Attempts to make the humanities “relevant” by shortening texts or emphasizing job skills miss the point. The value of the humanities lies in challenging the modern world’s expectation of easy answers.
* Difficulty as a Virtue: The author argues that difficulty is the point.The humanities teach the value of wrestling with complex ideas, even if it’s challenging.
* Personal Observation: the author shares their experience at Bard College,noting a decline in students’ willingness to fully engage with challenging texts,and an increasing reliance on AI to complete assignments.
* AI’s Evolution: The author notes the rapid advancement of AI tools, making detection of AI-generated work increasingly difficult.
In essence, the author believes the humanities need to resist the trend towards instant gratification and easy answers, and rather reaffirm the importance of intellectual rigor and the value of difficulty.