Truth-in-advertising ought to require that Harvard rebrand itself. Harvard’s motto is short and to the point: “Veritas”. Seven letters that capture in Latin what English captures in five: Truth.
The majority of those outside the universities agree that the pursuit of truth should be the proper purpose of a university. The person created by such an education should prioritize veritas above all other values. And to take it just another step forward, a free people who want to remain free ought to have an interest in fostering veritas’ ambitious habits of heart and mind—from pre-K to PhD.
Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan—a Harvard man—captured the common-sense foundations for a dedication to an indulgent pursuit of the truth: “We are all entitled to our own opinions,” he said, “but not our own facts.”
If “We the People of the United States” — and the World — could just let Moynihan’s thirteen words sink into our bifurcated American and global minds, our future, in the immortal words of Timbuk3, would be so bright we’d have to wear shades.
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