The humanities reboot and the robot: how they may provide what technology lacks. From the editorial:

…[M]any also argue that a successful career requires vocational or STEM training. The jobs are in technology and sciences, they say. Yet, this in itself is a judgement of value and while it is important to understand new technologies and their role in our lives, we keep coming back to the humanities to ground ourselves in a newly technological world.

Technology creates relationships. Social media, apps, machines, programmes and artificial intelligence change how we interact with ourselves and others. As we incorporate changing relationships in our lives, we are often confronted with new questions of right and wrong, good and bad, truth and falsity.

What should I write on Twitter? Should I believe the report my friend posted? Can I integrate the current media landscape into my life in a healthy way? How does my use of this technology affect my identity in ways that separate me from my ancestors? Humanities disciplines address these questions….

The most sophisticated computers have not yet been able to match the efficiency, creativity and speed of the human brain to address many problems. There is great value to be found in human traits like higher level thinking, emotions, community and virtue….

Our use of technology leads us inevitably back to the humanities. In our grappling with the challenges of technology, we seek expression and practices cultivated by English, history, philosophy, theology and art. Interacting with these disciplines, we develop a better understanding of expression, both our own and that of others.

h/t Rob Townsend (@rbthisted)

For other posts on humanities and technology in education, see here and here.