The nerd culture is, I think, a genuine cultural shift. Perhaps not as large as that from a humanities dominated culture to a science dominated culture, but it does seem more a shift than a fashion. How we are to accommodate this shift is a significant challenge to the university.
The last shift, that heralded by C.P. Snow's Rede lecture, was accommodated at a substantial cost to the humanities - a cost from which we have yet to recover. Standing proudly aloof, as Bloom said of the humanities, seems a strategy intent on reducing one's influence. And aping the methods of the foreign culture is quickly seen for what it is.
Fortunately there is much in the sciences that is already heavily computational and this could easily be made more visible to the student. Gratuitous computational use, however, is not on - aping is aping. It is important to remember that, while we may regard the computer as a powerful and even essential tool, in the `nerd culture' it is a medium for expression.
The challenge remains as to how we are to incorporate important cultural shifts. We have a new shift that requires addressing and we have yet to deal justly with the last much larger shift. The same questions still need to be answered. What should constitute an education? Must specializations be so specialized? And so soon?
Allan Bloom suggests that posing some of these questions would be a threat to the peace, yet pose them we must. But where?
The enduring attraction of these conferences is that they provide a rare and natural forum for these and like questions.
On that note, I thank you for your time and attention.