Why the humanities matter: British Academy Fellows speak out. From the interviews:

Mary Beard DBE FBA, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge

The important thing is that knowledge can’t be set in stone or pickled in aspic. Knowledge is only knowledge if it’s an active verb, if somebody is doing it. It’s not a set of things that you can consign to a library and say is there. Knowledge is something that is dynamic and changing.

There’s a very important strand of the humanities, which is always taking that conversation afresh, it is renewing it….

Sir Ian Diamond FBA, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Aberdeen

Arts, humanities and social science graduates learn how to communicate and work with others, how to define a question and analyse the evidence to answer it, and how to work independently to solve problems with creativity. Such skills have never been more vital in a society where we need to collaborate across global boundaries, be engaged and active citizens who can identify ‘fake news’ and make evidence-based decisions and adapt to make the most of emerging technologies in an ethical way.

Employers need individuals who can interpret data, but also explain to others what it means.

h/t HumtankSverige