The ‘marriage’ of liberal arts and technology is important, not one or the other, says author Scott Hartley
IS technology taking a toll on our ability to understand of other people and society its elf? Are the liberal arts losing their meaning in the world of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning? Does it make sense to study philosophy, anthropology or psychology in this age of technology-driven lifestyles? Scott Hartley, author of The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World thinks it does. “The study of social sciences, psychology and philosophy comes into play when we try to address human problems through technology,” he says. “We talk about magic words like big data and AI, but the inputs that created these things are human. And human beings are subject to bias, fallibility and error. So it is important to broaden the scope of participation in technology and have people from all walks of life participating in it.”
At Stanford University, California, ‘fuzzy’ ref ers to a student of the humanities and social sciences, while ‘techies’ are students of engineering or the sciences. Brought up in tech mecca Palo Alto, California, Hartley, however, is not a techie. “That is also an impetus to write this book,” he says. “It is sort of autobiographi cal. I am a fuzzy. I studied political theory. Then I worked with Google and went to India to set up a team in Google India, before moving to Facebook. Later I became an investor in start ups. I realised so many investors and product managers are from diverse backgrounds. I was not really alone, a political scientist working in the tech world. Technology is something we all need to engage with as it is a part of our world. The book is no way antitechnology.”
This story is from the October 01, 2018 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 01, 2018 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee