IT is a sign of our age that not just the processing times of Large Language Models (LLMs), but the very arc of humanity, is racing ahead at warp speed. It feels impossible to keep up with technology, political developments, the cultural zeitgeist — even morality, as it becomes harder to distinguish between right and wrong.

One area where the pendulum swings erratically is with regard to what is valued in education. Over the past decade, there has been a devaluing and defunding of the humanities in favour of STEM subjects. But it’s possible to detect the pendulum’s reluctant oscillation back towards the humanities. This will not surprise those who have benefited from a humanities education. The contemporary world needs the skills that the humanities impart: critical thinking, analysis, communication, empathy, foresight.

Literature, history, cultural and social studies have evolved and proliferated against the backdrop of war. The Crimean War alone spurred war reporting, long-form journalism as we now recognise it, anti-war rhetoric and the career of Leo Tolstoy. Conflict — and the collective trauma it generates — has fuelled cultural production, the bedrock of the humanities.

As the 21st century is defined by perma-war — not........

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