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Expanding this thought... UChicago should be pretty uniquely positioned to address the problem of AI writ large. They already require a full year of each philo

Expanding this thought... UChicago should be pretty uniquely positioned to address the problem of AI writ large. They already require a full year of each philosophy, literature, and history (all through primary sources). This "Core" should already be fairly AI-proof, given they are primarily small-group, discussion-driven courses; oral exams, in-class essays, or even graded discussions should be straightforward adaptations. And yet, the university shifted towards professionalism before AI ("training a mind for the workforce" rather than "the good life"). Already, this transition did what the author observes AI is doing. I would hardly believe someone who cheats through an econ/stats major is less educated - if only through osmosis - than someone who honestly completes Business Economics. And so I wonder - if the damage of AI is primarily instrumental to the broader trend of hyper-professionalism, what damage has it actually done? If we automate away the signal to companies "yes, I can do stats for you," does that free students to focus more on the _less_ professional aspects of education? Sure, it undercuts credentialism, making the "piece of paper" near worthless - but if our aim of education is just to "be better," should that not give us hope?

jimbokun 5mo ago
If the signal to corporations disappears the wage premium to a college education disappears and the students disappear along with the tuition paying the professors’ salaries.
- curiousllama 5mo ago
  Maybe? Elite colleges have been around a lot longer than the professional credentialism of the last 20 years, no?
  - jimbokun 5mo ago
    The point was still the credentials. Otherwise what signal does “prominent family and graduated from Harvard” have over just “prominent family”?
    - curiousllama 5mo ago
      Again - maybe? The credential was certainly something - a more easily understood distillation of the of connections and status that got you there. But that's not exactly professional the way a degree in Business is. Besides, were there not other high-minded notions that underpinned that credential - ideas of self-development and virtuous leadership? And more crass notions of polish and status? Were these not the self-justifications of these elites, made manifest through the institutions? As a side note - I do strongly suspect elite schools will bring these ideas back. If not for virtue, for necessity - as schools seek to self-justify in ways that go beyond the dollars they risk losing.

jimbokun 5mo ago

If the signal to corporations disappears the wage premium to a college education disappears and the students disappear along with the tuition paying the professors’ salaries.

curiousllama 5mo ago
Maybe? Elite colleges have been around a lot longer than the professional credentialism of the last 20 years, no?
- jimbokun 5mo ago
  The point was still the credentials. Otherwise what signal does “prominent family and graduated from Harvard” have over just “prominent family”?
  - curiousllama 5mo ago
    Again - maybe? The credential was certainly something - a more easily understood distillation of the of connections and status that got you there. But that's not exactly professional the way a degree in Business is. Besides, were there not other high-minded notions that underpinned that credential - ideas of self-development and virtuous leadership? And more crass notions of polish and status? Were these not the self-justifications of these elites, made manifest through the institutions? As a side note - I do strongly suspect elite schools will bring these ideas back. If not for virtue, for necessity - as schools seek to self-justify in ways that go beyond the dollars they risk losing.