Dispatches: From the Founding Director, Professor Kathryn Temple

We Need You Now More than Ever

In a recent piece in the New Yorker, philosophy professor Agnes Callard argues that the academic humanities, the study of history, literature, and philosophy, are useless in a crisis — except in the sense of demonstrating how important a crisis-free life is. “My own humanistic learning has failed to prove itself,” she says. Humanistic principles have not helped her avoid “numbness and anxiety.” She feels paralyzed, consumed with trivial annoyances, and obsessed with the COVID-19 news cycle.

Read the “Step Up, Lean in Humanities” piece on Medium.

In this video, I sit down with Professor Pavesich to talk about his work cataloging the use of the D.C. flag to make political statements in the public sphere.

Watch the conversation with Professor Pavesich on Youtube.

As the Director of the MAEPH, I spend a lot of time thinking about the value of the humanities in public life. Such thoughts have, of course, taken on greater urgency given the current crisis. How can the humanities help us weather COVID-19? COVID-19 may seem on the surface more relevant to other fields like public health, biology, economics, and public policy. But the habits of mind that drive the humanities not only guide human decisions about human problems but also help us cope on an individual and subjective level. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring the role of the humanities during COVID-19 through writing essays that celebrate the habits of mind we develop through studying the humanities. In this short essay, I focus on the nature of rituals and their purpose given our altered circumstances.

Read the “Rituals, Resilience, and Why We Need to Fail” piece on Medium.

As the Director of the MAEPH, I spend a lot of time thinking about the value of the humanities in public life. Such thoughts have, of course, taken on greater urgency given the current crisis. How can the humanities help us weather COVID-19? COVID-19 may seem on the surface more relevant to other fields like public health, biology, economics, and public policy. But the habits of mind that drive the humanities not only guide human decisions about human problems but also help us cope on an individual and subjective level. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring the role of the humanities during COVID-19 through writing essays that celebrate the habits of mind we develop through studying the humanities. In this short essay, I focus on creativity and its role in fostering hope and productivity in a world in crisis.

Read the “COVID-19 Dreams: What We’re Missing Now” piece on Medium.

As the Director of the MAEPH, I spend a lot of time thinking about the value of the humanities in public life. COVID-19 may seem on the surface more relevant to other fields like public health, biology, economics, and public policy. But the habits of mind that drive the humanities not only guide human decisions about human problems but also help us cope on an individual and subjective level. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring the role of the humanities during COVID-19 through writing essays that celebrate the habits of mind we develop through studying the humanities. In this short essay, I touch on the role of history plays in aiding our understanding of the crisis. 

Read the “From social distancing to social isolation to…?” piece on Medium.