EPISODE · Apr 2, 2026 · 53 MIN
#90 Grant Havers: AI in Education, The Digital Cave, Great Books, and Why Dialogue Matters
from Concepts with Shawn Whatley · host Shawn Whatley
Can AI replace teachers? Would students benefit? Should classical schools -- great books curricula -- use AI? I tried very hard to get Dr. Grant Havers into trouble in this episode. But he was too smart to say anything that would offend school administrators. Instead of picking a side in the pro- vs anti-AI debate, Dr. Havers worked to bring out issues and objectives. If we trust AI to think for us, what does that say about our own ability to think? This debate will continue to invade every knowledge-based profession over the next few years. Maybe we will all be retraining as plumbers and electricians? Looking forward to hearing what you think! Thanks again, Shawn Chapters and AI summary Host Shawn Whatley interviews Professor Grant Havers, chair of Philosophy at Trinity Western University and author of The Medium Is Still the Message, about AI’s role in education, especially in Great Books and classical Christian settings. Havers argues educators must study and discuss AI because media create “invisible environments” that reshape minds beyond intended uses, while warning against introducing AI into classrooms or outsourcing intellectual tasks like summarizing Plato. He questions why teachers would trust AI to write emails or handle routine work, suggesting it reflects a questionable belief that AI “thinks” better than humans, and distinguishes information processing from intelligence, intuition, and creativity. Framing AI as a new version of Plato’s cave, he calls for renewed emphasis on dialogue-based education, responsibility for beliefs, and awareness of technology’s addictive, idolatrous pull, while noting AI’s rapid real-time effects, including concerns about autonomous weapons in war. 00:00 AI in Education Today 00:42 Meet the Guest 03:22 Why Schools Want AI 05:09 Medium Shapes Minds 06:55 Outsourcing Thinking 11:02 AI as the New Cave 13:34 Mundane Tasks Debate 21:55 Addiction and Tradeoffs 23:42 Study Tech to Resist 27:02 Print Culture and Tropos 28:42 Medium Shapes the Mind 31:31 Intellectual Virtue and Soul 33:30 Left Brain Right Brain Limits 37:26 Reviving Dialogue Education 40:09 AI Empathy and Truth Seeking 43:30 Poison Books and Paradox 47:10 Idolatry Addiction and Narcissus 50:09 Hopeful Outlook and AI War 52:39 Book Wrap Up and Farewell
What this episode covers
Can AI replace teachers? Would students benefit? Should classical schools -- great books curricula -- use AI? I tried very hard to get Dr. Grant Havers into trouble in this episode. But he was too smart to say anything that would offend school administrators. Instead of picking a side in the pro- vs anti-AI debate, Dr. Havers worked to bring out issues and objectives. If we trust AI to think for us, what does that say about our own ability to think? This debate will continue to invade every knowledge-based profession over the next few years. Maybe we will all be retraining as plumbers and electricians? Looking forward to hearing what you think! Thanks again, Shawn Chapters and AI summary Host Shawn Whatley interviews Professor Grant Havers, chair of Philosophy at Trinity Western University and author of The Medium Is Still the Message, about AI’s role in education, especially in Great Books and classical Christian settings. Havers argues educators must study and discuss AI because media create “invisible environments” that reshape minds beyond intended uses, while warning against introducing AI into classrooms or outsourcing intellectual tasks like summarizing Plato. He questions why teachers would trust AI to write emails or handle routine work, suggesting it reflects a questionable belief that AI “thinks” better than humans, and distinguishes information processing from intelligence, intuition, and creativity. Framing AI as a new version of Plato’s cave, he calls for renewed emphasis on dialogue-based education, responsibility for beliefs, and awareness of technology’s addictive, idolatrous pull, while noting AI’s rapid real-time effects, including concerns about autonomous weapons in war. 00:00 AI in Education Today 00:42 Meet the Guest 03:22 Why Schools Want AI 05:09 Medium Shapes Minds 06:55 Outsourcing Thinking 11:02 AI as the New Cave 13:34 Mundane Tasks Debate 21:55 Addiction and Tradeoffs 23:42 Study Tech to Resist 27:02 Print Culture and Tropos 28:42 Medium Shapes the Mind 31:31 Intellectual Virtue and Soul 33:30 Left Brain Right Brain Limits 37:26 Reviving Dialogue Education 40:09 AI Empathy and Truth Seeking 43:30 Poison Books and Paradox 47:10 Idolatry Addiction and Narcissus 50:09 Hopeful Outlook and AI War 52:39 Book Wrap Up and Farewell
NOW PLAYING
#90 Grant Havers: AI in Education, The Digital Cave, Great Books, and Why Dialogue Matters
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.