Celebrate the Crisis in the Humanities by making it Bigger | Nick Agar | TEDxUniversity of Waikato

Quick Overview

Nick Agar, a professor of philosophy, argues that the perceived crisis in the humanities is actually an opportunity to make the field bigger by demonstrating its relevance, especially in dealing with complex issues like climate change and artificial intelligence, by engaging with and improving upon AI-generated summaries of classic texts.

Key Points: The speaker contends that the perceived crisis in humanities subjects like Classics, English, and Philosophy is not due to lack of funding or student interest, but is something that the humanities themselves should celebrate and magnify. He notes that while humanities professors often write academic articles that few read, the current challenges—like the climate crisis and inequality—are precisely the types of problems humanities are equipped to address. Agar cites philosopher Martin Heidegger's idea that to be human is to be 'on the way' toward death, suggesting that existential awareness is central to the humanities. He challenges the audience by asking if they would prefer a time machine built by a philosopher (who understands the meaning of ancient texts) or by a cheap, un-imaginative AI like ChatGPT (08:10). The speaker points out that the current crises (climate, inequality) are fundamentally human problems that machines cannot solve, as machines lack imagination. He encourages humanities professors to engage with AI by critically reviewing and improving its summaries of complex texts like Plato's theory of forms, rather than ignoring the technology.

Context: The talk, delivered by Nick Agar, a professor of philosophy at TEDx University of Waikato, addresses the ongoing debate regarding the decline or 'crisis' of the humanities in modern academia. Agar frames this crisis not as a failure, but as a critical moment for the humanities to prove their unique value in tackling contemporary, complex global issues where technical or purely quantitative approaches fall short.

Detailed Analysis

Nick Agar, a philosophy professor, opens by acknowledging that people perceive a crisis in the humanities (Classics, English, Philosophy), citing empty lecture theaters and unpopular academic articles. He argues that instead of lamenting this, they should celebrate the crisis as an opportunity to make the humanities bigger by focusing on what they do best: addressing inherently human problems that technology like AI cannot solve. He emphasizes that the climate crisis, inequality, and existential questions are precisely where humanities expertise is crucial, as they deal with meaning, value, and being-in-the-world, concepts Heidegger explored. Agar uses the example of AI (like ChatGPT) being able to generate summaries of complex texts (like Plato's Forms) but lacking the imagination to truly understand or solve human-centric crises. He recounts a personal anecdote where he was asked if he would prefer a time machine built by a philosopher or by an AI, concluding that the philosopher's understanding of human existence (being 'on the way' to death) is more valuable than the machine's computational ability. He challenges his colleagues to stop being lazy, stop ignoring AI, and instead use their skills to critique and improve AI-generated content, thereby demonstrating the irreplaceable value of humanistic inquiry.