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 – Do the humanities mean more morality?
- 15:00 – Shakespeare vs. John Grisham
- 24:07 – The Tulsa Honors College
- 34:43 – Left-wing critiques and specialization
- 44:10 – Is conservatism a friend to liberal arts?
- 56:32 – Why the humanities are crucial in the age A.I.
(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.)
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May 21, 2026