It's valuable context. Here it doesn't hurt or help the piece. More often than anything, the year adds weight to a piece. The essay "A Group is its Own Worst

It's valuable context. Here it doesn't hurt or help the piece. More often than anything, the year adds weight to a piece. The essay "A Group is its Own Worst Enemy" would be interesting observations at any time, but putting (2005) after it makes it clear the leading work that it was and how universal the observations may be.