The Significance of Reason

-3- OF MEN IN GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATIONS BENT UPON SHAPING EVENTS FOR PERSONAL GAIN. INDEED, EVENTS OF THE RECENT PAST ATTEST CLEARLY TO THE INTENSITY OF HUMAN PASSION AND STRONGLY SUGGEST THE IMPOTENCE OF REASON IN SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS OF LIFE. YOU MUST, THEREFORE, WONDER WHY THIS UNIVERSITY REMAINS SO FIRMLY COMMITTED TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF REASON, WHY SO MUCH EMPHASIS IS PLACED UPON THE DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE IN THESE HALLS OF LEARNING. I WOULD REMIND YOU THAT YOUR GENERATION IS KNOWN AS A GENERATION THAT IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE HUMAN CONDITION ON THIS PLANET AND DESIROUS OF IMPROVING SIGNIFICANTLY THAT CONDITION. PERHAPS NO OTHER GENERATION OF AMERICANS HAS PLACED MORE EMPHASIS UPON JUSTICE, FAIRNESS, EQUITY AMD HUMAN RIGHTS. I WOULD ASK, THEREFORE, THAT WHEN WE ARE TORN BETWEEN APATHY AND A STRONG SENSE OF COMMITMENT, THAT WE REMEMBER THAT THE DEFEATIST ATTITUDE -- THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE, THAT NOTHING MATTERS -- IS A COP OUT, AN ABANDONMENT OF THE HIGHEST PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED. AS A PEOPLE, AMERICANS ARE KNOWN TO BE IMPATIENT, TO REACT QUICKLY AND SOMETIMES EXCESSIVELY. SUCH A PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR ACCOUNTS IN PART FOR THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF OUR ECONOMY, AND I SUSPECT THAT IT ALSO ACCOUNTS LARGELY FOR THE PERVASIVE MOOD OF PESSIMISM THAT SHADOWS THE THINKING OF OUR PEOPLE TODAY. LET US KEEP IN MIND THAT EVEN MORE FUNDAMENTAL THAN THE PROPENSITY TO OVER-REACT IN THE SHORT RUN IS THE RESILIENT LONG RUN OPTIMISM WHICH CHARACTERIZES THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THIS OPTIMISM IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE HERITAGE OF THIS COUNTRY. A NATION THAT WAS ABLE TO TAKE THE DOWNTRODDEN AND OUTCAST FROM OTHER NATIONS AROUND THE EARTH AND MELD THEM INTO THE MOST PRODUCTIVE NATION ON EARTH SHALL RISE ABOVE THE GLOOM OF THE MOMENT AND ONCE AGAIN FACE THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE AND OPTIMISM