Aretē vs. Technē in the GenAI Gym

About this episode

This episode explores the intersection of ancient Greek ideals of excellence and skill in the context of GenAI in education.

What happens when the ancient Greek pursuit of aretē —excellence of mind and character—meets technē —craft, skill, and know-how—in the age of GenAI? In this episode, we step into the “GenAI Gym” with our colleague Jackson Moss, Assistant Department Chair and Professor of English, to explore the tension and harmony between these ideals in the composition classroom. Drawing on Margaret Renkl’s NYT op-ed “I, Human” and Heather Reid’s "Plato’s Gymnastic Dialogues," we discuss how teaching excellence, process, and growth mindset can thrive alongside AI tools, and what it means to train for more than just technical proficiency.

People in this episode

Host: Monica Mankin

Guest: Jackson Moss

Topics covered

• aretē
• technē
• GenAI
• composition classroom
• teaching excellence
• growth mindset

Keywords

• aretē
• technē
• GenAI
• composition
• teaching
• excellence
• growth mindset
• AI tools

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times

Books & works: I, Human, Plato’s Gymnastic Dialogues

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