AKA Review - 06.06.2025

From The New York Times

Harvard Derangement Syndrome
By Steven Pinker

This Harvard professor, a longtime critic of the university, dubs the unhinged MAGA invective aimed at it, “Harvard Derangement Syndrome.” The university has long attracted outsize attention as both the "epitome of higher learning and a natural magnet for grievances against elites.” But, he argues, the nation desperately needs a sense of proportionality in dealing with its educational institutions. Harvard has serious ailments, but the right treatment “is to diagnose which parts need which remedies, not to cut its carotid and watch it bleed out.” Read this article

From The Atlantic

The Era of DEI for Conservatives Has Begun
By Rose Horowich

The dearth of conservatives in academia is well established. Though college leaders are loathe to be seen as capitulating to the White House’s demands, some recognize the harms of ideological homogeneity and the extent to which conservative underrepresentation has hurt higher ed’s public standing. Ironically, their responses adopt affirmative action tactics for conservatives that have long been demonized by the Right when the same tactics were used to redress racial and ethnic discrimination. Read this article

From The Chronicle of Higher Education

At UC Berkeley, the Faculty Asks Itself, Do Our Critics Have a Point?
By Emma Pettit

As higher ed leaders weigh whether to give ground or fight back against White House attacks, a question lingers: Do Trump and his allies have a point? A recent faculty survey at UC Berkeley revealed complicated feelings that run counter to UCB’s ultra-progressive stereotype. Over half responded that some criticisms are valid, disagreeing with Trump’s specific tactics but advocating for serious self-reflection—one noting bluntly, “Universities are under attack (often by idiots), but they deserve it and should get their houses in order.” Read this article

From Education Next

The Surprising Role of Public Universities in Forging America’s Leaders
By Andy Smarick

Challenging a widely held perception that “paths to leadership and influence in America run directly through the…most exclusive colleges,” the author’s research suggests that public universities play a major role in forming American leaders. This finding is based on a definition of leadership that favors state-level leaders—governors, legislative leaders, attorneys general, etc.—who are much likelier to have gone to public flagship universities than elite colleges and influence policy in ways that benefit more Americans. Read this article

From The New Yorker

Why AI Isn’t Going to Make Art
By Ted Chiang

Could AI ever be better than humans at making art? No, the author argues. Good art emerges from the artist’s choice of each word and brushstroke. When AI responds to a 100-word prompt for a 10,000-word story, it averages internet text or copies a specific writer’s style to fill in for the choices a human is not making. This creates uninteresting art. While AI’s selling point is precisely its ability to generate vastly more than one puts into it, any writing or painting deserving attention results from the artist’s decision about each word or stroke. Read this article