Re: <nettime> deep humanities initiative

["Michael H. Goldhaber" <michael@goldhaber.org>]

Is it more closely related to the “deep state” or to “deep pockets “? Both?

Best,

Michael via iPhone, so please ecuse misteaks.

> On Apr 23, 2021, at 7:09 PM, Ted Byfield <tedbyfield@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On 23 Apr 2021, at 19:11, Molly Hankwitz wrote:
> 
>> What is “Deep Humanities”?
> 
> This seems like your basic Silly Valley 'branding' proposal powerpoint, right down to the gobsmacking conceit that what they're doing is 'deep,' which implies that what everyone else has been doing — like for the last century or two (or twenty) — is shallow. Without fail the opposite is true, but there are the words, right there in front of you, and they say the opposite, so reading things like this always involves a fleeting doubt about who's insane, you or the authors.
> 
> The bullet points follow a formula, which is to toss out a potted definition that might be at home in a catalog description for an intro-level undergrad course, followed by an effort to make it relevant to tech bros. For example:
> 
>>> Culture: not as a stable set of practices to be manipulated or overcome, but as a dynamic site of struggle for meaning; as a form of “artificial intelligence” that enhances and extends human intelligence and capabilities.
> 
>>> Ethics: ethical ways of conceiving and connecting with the Other all its planetary diversity; integrating ethics into STEM/STEM education, business, politics, planning, and policy.
> 
>>> Language/communication – communication/language in human/non-human; human cognition/intelligence as well as AI and machine learning, including notions of context, common sense, and critical thinking.
> 
> I'm not *even* going to touch the one about "reality."
> 
>>> At its most profound, Deep Humanities aims to bring our cumulative accumulated knowledges about the practice of being human to engage the urgent issues of our times.
> 
> As opposed to all those shallow humanities. And, yes, I saw the thing about "cumulative accumulated knowledges."
> 
> I don't think the authors are insane. I sympathize with how difficult it must be to teach humanities in a setting like San Jose, where everything, everywhere, in every moment radiates the boundless, inbred naive confidence of tech wealth and power. Even very strong people would need to make serious accommodations to survive. This initiative seems like a product of those accommodations.
> 
> Cheers,
> Ted
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