The Humanities in Question

After reviewing recent claims about the crisis of the humanities, this introductory essay questions the terms on which some self-described humanists have proposed to defend the humanities, focusing in particular on the conceptual couplet of “crisis” and “defense.” Turning to Hannah Arendt’s 1961 essay “The Crisis in Education,” the essay then argues that questioning, more than defense, is the most fitting response to crisis. It concludes by outlining a number of problematics, ranging from technoscience and cybernetics to theology and translation, that together call for renewed questioning today.