“The Atlantic” has published Jonathan Haidt’s speech at NYU’s commencement. I know nothing about him, except that he’s against screens in classrooms. His speech (I’ve pasted the link below) seems right to me. I’d add to it by saying that I remember working in a solitary way, in the afternoons and at night, on papers and reading. I remember that work and the good feeling of tiredness at the end–tiredness and knowing more than I did hours earlier. Everyone uses screens now, yes, but not everyone (I hope) uses A.I. instead of learning. How do those who use A.I. to write papers or to analyze something they’ve read feel after typing in a prompt? Maybe they move on to the next thing, never having learned anything but the manipulation of a tool. Perhaps there is no good feeling except not being a sucker for spending time on something that has no immediate monetary value.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/05/nyu-jonathan-haidt-commencement-speech/687168