Reclaiming Ground for the Humanities

Projects that bridge the humanities and sciences often attract attention from journalists, but evoke dismay from humanists who feel that their subjects of expertise have been misinterpreted. For the humanities to reclaim a place of pride in public conversation, humanists themselves need to embrace interdisciplinarity and take the lead in this conversation. If we do that, students will discover that the humanities are not a moral sanctum set apart from the world, but a mode of inquiry closely connected to other parts of their lives, including the thrill of problem-solving.