Theo Von and Sam Altman on the Future of Historians
CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman was recently interviewed by comedian Theo Von. Early in the interview, Theo asks Altman about the future of History and historians.Here is what they said:(11:14…
The Rise of AI and Liberal Arts Degrees
Whenever I open Google on my phone, I get suggested news articles to read. For the longest time they were always about classic rock, and I couldn’t figure out why…
Should Anyone Formally Study History Anymore?
A kind reader asked me if I would recommend pursuing the path of studying history. . . And I don’t have an answer, but I have certain thoughts. So, I’ll…
The Great Dispersal: Academia Today
I always enjoy looking around me and trying to get a sense of what is happening in my profession. I’m an historian of Southeast Asian history, but I also have…
Don’t Look Up: A Tsunami of International Publications is Coming!!
In two previous posts, I’ve talked about how the global university rankings system is affecting scholarship and the work of scholars. (here and here)Various metrics are used in creating university…
Global Rankings and the End of the Humanities
In an earlier post, I wrote about the ways in which journal rankings systems can make it difficult for people in small specialized fields to meet the “key performance indicators”…
University Rankings, Publishing, and the Future of Knowledge Production and Academic Employment
The world of academic knowledge production today is very different from what it was just 5-10 years ago and it will continue to change rapidly in the years ahead.I will…
The Internet, Wokeism, and Vietnamese Confucian Scholars in the 1920s
For the past two decades, I have been working in higher education and observing how the Internet, and the digital revolution more generally, has transformed my profession (History).While there have…
The Defenders are Saving the Universe
What does a science fiction story about a couple of aliens saving the universe have to do with Southeast Asian history or higher education??Trust me. There's a connection.Watch the video…