Reading As an Act of Resistance (Notes on Harvard’s Hum 10)

The rise of "reward shortcutting"—a strategy employed by big tech to provide low-effort, immediate gratification—undermines human fulfillment by replacing meaningful engagement with digital simulations. While social media and generative AI offer quick access to social connection or synthesized knowledge, these shortcuts lack the cognitive strain necessary for genuine intellectual development. The recent surge in popularity for Harvard’s rigorous "Hum 10" course, which mandates intensive reading and writing without digital assistance, demonstrates a growing student rejection of these empty promises. Real learning and lasting satisfaction require the effortful grappling with complex texts and the blank page, processes that physically reconfigure the brain’s understanding of the world. By choosing to resist the lure of digital shortcuts, individuals can reclaim the profound rewards that only come from sustained, non-trivial effort.