Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What’s really driving the humanities crisis in higher education? As enrollment and reading decline, I asked Jennifer Frey, a professor of philosophy, what it was like to run a liberal arts program that was gutted. I wanted to know whether she thinks the age of A.I. could bring back the kind of education she says is fundamental to human formation.
00:00 - Intro
2:08 - Why study the humanities?
5:00 - Why we should be skeptical of the humanities
15:00 - The value of high art
24:07 - Bringing the humanities to University of Tulsa
34:43 - Left-wing critiques of the liberal arts
44:10 - Is conservatism an enemy or friend of the liberal arts?
56:32 - Defense of the humanities in the age A.I.
Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.
Read the full transcript here: nytimes.com/2026/05/21/opinion/a-defense-of-a-liberal-arts-education-in-the-age-of-ai.html
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
What’s really driving the humanities crisis in higher education? As enrollment and reading decline, I asked Jennifer Frey, a professor of philosophy, what it was like to run a liberal arts program that was gutted. I wanted to know whether she thinks the age of A.I. could bring back the kind of education she says is fundamental to human formation.
00:00 - Intro
2:08 - Why study the humanities?
5:00 - Why we should be skeptical of the humanities
15:00 - The value of high art
24:07 - Bringing the humanities to University of Tulsa
34:43 - Left-wing critiques of the liberal arts
44:10 - Is conservatism an enemy or friend of the liberal arts?
56:32 - Defense of the humanities in the age A.I.
Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com.
Read the full transcript here: nytimes.com/2026/05/21/opinion/a-defense-of-a-liberal-arts-education-in-the-age-of-ai.html
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
