In the new Closing the Gap in Non-Latin Script Data blog post, Dr. Christian D. Casey reflects on how quantitative and computational methods are transforming traditional humanistic disciplines. Drawing on his experience teaching computational philology, he examines where digital methods can successfully improve or replace established scholarly practices—and where their limits become apparent. 

The post argues that the central challenge is not simply the replacement of traditional methods, but the possible displacement of humanistic questions themselves. Digital tools can provide new forms of evidence, scalability, and reproducibility, but their results still require scholarly expertise, interpretation, and engagement with questions that cannot be reduced to quantitative analysis. 

Casey ultimately calls for closer integration of digital and traditional approaches, with digital humanities supporting existing humanistic inquiry while also opening up genuinely new research questions. 

Read the full blog post: “Will Digital Destroy the Humanities?”