Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin: Thank you President Enarson, Ladies and ...

Dr.

Daniel

J . Boorstin:

Thank y o u P r e s i d e n t E n a r s o n , L a d i e s and Gentlemen, G r a d u a t e s , C o m m u n i t y o f E d u c a t e d men a n d women, i t ' s a g r e a t p r i v i l e g e t o be h e r e i n t h i s u n i v e r s i t y , a u n i v e r s i t y w h i c h i s a s y m b o l of

our American

this

occasion

education place. you

a s p i r a t i o n s f o r l e a r n i n g and f o r freedom.

i t ' s n a t u r a l t h a t we s h o u l d

i n general

receive

today

i s likely

Some o f u s a l s o w i l l later that of

t o e n d , where

i n s i d e of you.

^several

years

effect

ago by a p r e s i d e n t

he w o u l d

always t e l l

unin^erestingness

i t will

The b e s t

curriculum.

the

d i g n i t a S ^ r i e s , mayors o f t h e n e i g h b o r i n g

and

others

usual and

equipment

other

t u n n e l was u n d e r t a k e n

diving bell,

f o ra dedication.

was

statement suggested parable

of the

He r e c a l l e d t h e

underneath

dedication of this

were i n t h i s

b e made

o f Harvard,the

The

which

be d i s p l a y e d .

summary

of education

Lowell

o f t h e d e d i c a t i o n ofla t u n n e l

this

and t h e t h i n g s

p e o p l e who c o m p l e i n e d

of the

left

on where t h a t diploma

be t h i n k i n g a b o u t what u s e w i l l

the problem o f the a f t e r

story

you have

o f a l l t h e knowledge^ y o u have a c q u i r e d have happened

that

be t h i n k i n g about

and i t s f u n c t i o n a f t e r

Some o f u s may b e r e f l e c t i n g

On

t h e Hudson

River.

i n a d i v i n g b e l l and towns, t h e

and o f course

they

engineer had t h e

They had b o t t l e s o f c h a m p a ^ n -

r e f r e s h m e n t and t h e d i v i n g b e l l

w e n t down t o t h e

bottom and w i t h

the use o f the telephone

and

r e m a r k s w e r e made a n d t h e n t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e

sententious

party

opened

They r e m o v e d

to

there

since

speeches

t h e b o t t l e o f champagne t o p e r f o r m t h e u s u a l

o-f. t h e t u n n e l . their

the various

disday

t h e tM-MX

was no p o p .

t h a t was t h e o n l y

cork

dedication

o f t h e champac-fid a n d

T h e champa:v-e w a s f l a t b u t

beverage they

had f o rt h e purpose

they

drank

i t anyway and went on w i t h t h e ceremony.

ceremony was o v e r bell

rose

used

to t e l l

you I

like

t h i s moriiing

modern A m e r i c a n

life

even n o t i c e i t .

that and by

they

the,

like

attention

i s a byproduct

and which

tell

study

t o remind

later.

to talk

take

Mow about

p l a c e a n d wfrst.?£

t o a phenomenon o f

o f democracy

and w e a l t h

t h a t we ,don't (

the earlier

periods of

o f authority; and they

people

^and we a r e t o l d

o f modern l i b e r a l i s m tyranny

are told

tyranized then

over

that i n the 18th

t o reason, b u t I would

o f tyranny which

has entered

our

l i v e s , n o t b e c a u s e o f o u r p o v e r t y o r n o t b e c a u s e o f e*H?

any

authoritarian

of

our democaatic

living.

This

but

beliefs

i s what

of

realize

opinion.

with

quite

I will

d e s c r i b e as a t y r a n n y o p i n i o n s o commonly

o f t e n how s t r i k i n g

Opinion

a success

story

i s t h e name f o r a b e l i e f

confidence but not necessarily

knowledge o r proof.

the c o n t r a r y because

and because o f o u r h i g h standard o f

We s p e a k o f o p i n i o n a n d p u b l i c we d o n ' t

people

t h e r e was a f r e e i n g o f

by t h e appeal

y o u o f a new k i n d

view

when

u s t h a t t h e l e a r n e d mep-'women t h e p r i e s t s

t o authority.

any such

bubble

i s so u n i v e r s a l

and c h a n c e l l o r s and such

century, t h e r i s e from

which

your

as L o w e l l

I f t may b e f l a t

a few minutes

speak o f t h e tyranny

the appeal

people

Now t h i s

that bubbling might

When h i s t o r i a n s

and they

rulers

f o rjust

by c a l l i n g

high technology

history,

t o bubble.

c o n s u m e i t , b u t we a l l h o p e i t w i l l

i nparticular

and

began t o r i s e , a n d as t h e d i v i n g

u s was a p a r a b l e o f e d u c a t i o n .

some o f t h e w a y s i n w h i c h way

bell

t h e champaa/j o b e g a n

first

would

the diving

Then a f t e r t h e

of opinion.

now d a y s

that

i s the career

or conclusion held

s u b s t a n t i a t e d by p o s i t i v e

Opiomdins a r e d i s t i n g u i s h e d

by t h e s t r e n g t h

with which

they

are

with which t h e i r reminds one

us

thinks

that

an

opinion

f o r complete

established.

and

the

opinion

was

a

•mff b e l i e v e d

t o be was

misjudgement.

English

three

t o be

pathway

In

to

earliest

D i c t i o n a r y which

goes back

opinions

observing

man's k n o w l e d g e rise

of

with

e r r o r and

mbtion.

to

by

no

to

that

i t was

the

18th

grounds something^

To

oddly

say

that

wasgenerally that

s o m e t h i n g was worth

century, and

Europe^ o p i n i o n

was

a

i n the

Oxford

the

kind

Lord political

c e r t a i n and

means p e r f e c t l y d e c l a r e d .

hardly

i t

i t was

records

t h e n was

opinion

enough,

f o r h i s dangerous non

hid

Until

ccbosely

later

18th

identified

acquired

one

account

of

century

when

modern l i b e r a l i s m

had

from the

m e r e o p i n i o n was taking

5

certain

h i s t o r y of

in fact

1388,

how

though not

opinion

is

protestantism

i n western

of

i n Europe, opinion say

that

T h e n by

government and roots

and

liberalism

saying

opinion

and

or

of

beginning

saying

use

London..executed presumably

of

the

dictionary

thinks

i n the

to error.

equivalent The

true

stages

Mayor of

way

w h a t one

The

demonstration, belief

opinion.

the

authenticity

demonstrable.

synonym f o r u n c e r t a i n t y

someones o p i n i o n of

of

the

J u d g e m e n t r e s t i n g on

t o ones mind

There are

reputation

are

t h a n by

i s simply

something.

probable or$seeming or

rather

conclusions

about

in" s u f f i c i e n t

held,

that representative

taken

jzLtry,?/ d i f f e r e n t

firm

tones.

i- •

Wow

opinion

was

frequently

qualified

as

a common/'general, o r

.0' s o m e t i m e s =a- p u b l i c o p i n i o n uncertainty

or

the

and

the

emphasis

shifted

from

e r r o r prone q u a l i t y ' i n t o something

the

else,

even

to

i t s power.

S m i t h and new in

sciences

results. of

the

forces

a great the

a

there

the

One

18th

and of

and

United

easy

In

1801,

he

called

f o r us

the

only

few

American

have

survived

politicians

which

eloquent

and

to the

the

opinion

noticed not

the

to

I t can

that

change

as

a came

democracy

reputable.

status

of

opinion.

referred\jreatfully

the

which'rolled

presidency. say

wisdom of was

i s i n the Now

to

Since

very

few

public one

public

of

our then,

who American

opinion. the

most

opinion

ldmg run

superior

we're u s u a l l y t o l d o p i n i o n was

what

over

a l m o s t none

generations,

i n h i s praise of

of

«fick

world

became

is this

I would

mankind

as

letters

E u r o p e and

f o r e x a m p l e , who

rise

opinion

institutions

actually

later

self-chosen.

phenomenon i n the

as

murmer.

t o praisr. the

of

public

£nd

characterized

public opinion

by

most c o n s i s t e n t

average opinion

of

something

recent

brought him

Roosevelt,

d i c t a t e s of

great

had

the

evaluating

opinion

i n western

f o r g e t how

have dared

Delano

interested

g i v e ' h o l d "to t h e

p o l i t i c i a n s , and

t o be

Franklin

the

States,

m i g h t y wave o f

and

were

of

f o r e x a m p l e , Thomas J e f f e r s o n

republic

said,

to

scientists

representative

came t o It's

of

G e r m a n men

muffled

t i m e and

several countries

Adam

rise

t h e n was

described

Then as

Hume a n d

the

occurrence

leading

to dominate the

Qavid

for example,in his Decline

louder

in a brief

configuration.

and

a h i n t of

social

opinion

the

century

louder

was

new

Roman E m p i r e , f a c e d

whole nations nes

Montesqug

t h a t w e r e a t work more t h a n

in history

late

of

Edward G i b b o n s ,

power.

grew i n t o

age

and

describing^powers

Fall

in

that

Edward Gibbon^,

social

the

as

In

that

i t

that was

an

opportunity

t o be We

for people

himself,and

are

told

authority

was

public of

how

one

In

gradually

potent

themselves,

For

each

w h a t was

i n h i s own

heart

and

opinion rise

of

1

hes

own

came i n t o

they

had

become a

and

meant s o m e t h i n g

for citizens The

ballot,

time gave p e o p l e

an

men

who

secretly

and

identity

of

necessary.

this, was

on

sometimes the

s u f f r a g e was

laureate

wanted

And

Alfred

way

ftorst stage. demonstrated

and

else

to

too.

into

The

judgement. public

something

of

peoples

subterranean

out

the

extent

ballot

was

honest

with

think

that

going

p u b l i c and

next stage country

other

and

people the

one

the

because of

our

i s no

box

Now was

apparatus

forced and and

and

English

think.

ballot

which

first

opinions.

illegally

say

other

f o r the

i t made r e v o l u t i o n b o t h m o r e e a s y

i n our

new

were

could

the

of

who

Where t h e

by

But

a way

preferences

seek

aspect

expressed

I t meant a

earlier

to

to

w h i c h w e r e much more

know w t h e r

the

and

i s a novel

was

J40£ ffMjrf A u s t i n , p u b l i c o p i n i o n

to

opinion

t o c h a n g e s o c i e t y and

then people

what p e o p l e the

much o f

of

simple

feeling.

congealed

f o r e x a m p l e , was

disidence.

wide,

this

own

l e a r n the

opportunity

I t pia'y' made s u p e r f l u o u s the

to

this

single collective

opinion

mind.

commonly r e f e r

preferences

^ ^ r e ~ c o l l e c t e d and

opportunity

his being

opinions this

rise

so

that

But

something

error or

Private

of

We

realize

numerous i n d i v i d u a l

because

citiaens.

i n the

b e g i n n i n g , o p i n i o n was

i t was

person

s i g n a l l e d ; d e c l i n e of reason.

episode

don 1

public opinion

describing

of

dramatic

t h a t we

the

individual,

rise

express

o p i n i o n became p u b l i c .

opinion

it.

the

announced the

vie^Sw n e g l e c t s this

to express

that

and

to

the

less

poet

more

than

opinion only

the

has^dramatically wealth

and

our

highly

developed to

technology

was

the pressure

improve the machinery

and

i n order

t o do

that everybody some d e t a i l an

aspect

By

the

for bringing everything to

t h a t i t was

American

about i t which

later

20th

century

o p i n i o n measurable

nearly

every

child.

person

everyday

printed

or

advertising, opinion.

to fractions

or p r i v a t e

their

things.

the

viduals It

had

formulation of standards

opinion in

and

their had

of p u b l i c

had

of these on

about the

fallibility

a different but

of

public

television And

creation

of what

of

people

the beginning

•

were i n such

great

consumers, were not o p i n i o n s and originally

too

in fact

opinion. flimsy

Being

the

and

them. When

something

An/$$Xrt¥0

indi-

unreliable.

person,

but

opinion of

public nobody

i n g e n e r a l , i t s weaknesses

i t s s t r e n i j t h e n v e l p o p e d i n an

they

applied to

opinion increased.

that particular

character.

of everybody

t o d e f i n e and

public

b e g a n t o t h i n k t h a t t h e r e was

o p i n i o n , n a u u r a l l y e n o u g h , was

particular,

harder

Opinions

which

the

remarkable

a l l the

radio,

T h i s was

producers

o p i n i o n went p u b l i c , p e o p l e and

to learning

o p i n i o n andi\advertisement

to l o s e the

sacred

man^ woman,.,or

the

fateout

here.

product,

on

demand t h a t p e o p l e ,

same t i m e

any

c o u r s e , depended h e a v i l y

thought

there's

on

commercials.

overproduction of o p i n i o n .

the

to

TV

the

At

but

a discoverable

t o any

n e w s p a p e r s , on

in

on

Public

af

attention

q u e s t i o n ^ on

and

careful

story

of percentages

of possible interest

i n the

this

preferences

Experience

your

there appeared

felt

began

call

spoken advertisementsor of

told

economy

everybody

t o know t h e

f o r Demecratic

A m e r i c a n s became a c c u s t o m e d

opinions in

or

public

I've

I would

public

service,

necessary

about e v e r y t h i n g .

i n the

i n a democratized

aura

were

of group

wisdom.

Might of

not p u b l i c opinion

thought o r f e e l i n g .

knows b e t t e r by

than

then hoid

country

a power h e r e

anybody.

are.

Public opinion

and p e r c e p t i v e

% t which

i t h a d no where e l s e .

Lord

Brice, for

that

i n the United

much more r e s p e c t a b l e

an

army s e e i n g more r e s p e c t a b l e

By

the later

20th

what i s

might

call

being

a whole

then there Just

o f a prosperous

public relations inlisted

and

most s o p h i s t i c a t e d minds

measuring and opinion

i t began

characteristics,

think

Opinion

learned

into

others

came

into

and sampling which po l s t e r s

journals,

i n the nations.

reached

was

formed

trade of advertising

educated When

m a k i n g h a d become b i g b u s i n e s s

writers

opinion then the

a new $%£%fbeing c o o l e r

I would

everybody

as b e i n g

example, remarked stands

of a l l the realms

As t h e F r e n c h p r o v e r b w e n t ,

t h e more k n o w l e d g a b l e

this

the best

I twill

o f f e r u s some

t o t h e s p e c i a l d i s c o n t e n t ; o f democracy

i n our

clues time.

1

'

would

say.

Knowledge tends

perceptible derivative opinions

to the and

are

secondary.

about t h i s

demmcracy i s a

the

morals

acute

of

the

them.

about the

wise,

and

or

that.

opinions

We

than

they

have ever

In the the

United

t h a t our

who

the

citiaen. be

television

and

has tend

essential

is essential

the

and

m a t e r i a l , the

raw

other

data

about the world.

$ X $ X X M X - X M / ' - a n d of

by

other

however, and a

this

coherent

other William

information which university

structure

where d i s c o v e r y James d e f i n e d

especially

form of

then

a genius

as

are

are

because

to

told

this are

formed

w^£// and

characteristic that i t i s A

university,

of knowledge.

consists in finding

but

newspapers

we

where each p a r t i s r e l a t e d

a d e p t a t "/his a b i l i t y

charasteristic

and

comes l a t e r .

i s a place

not

we

most prominent

fact

and

a l l crucial

contract

distinctive

i n f o r m a t i o n i s i t s randomness, the

displaced

is

The

more

citizen,

m a t e r i a l , from which opinions

what c h a r a c t e r i z e s i n f o r m a t i o n by

with

to talk

programs are

is is

opinions

well-informed

Information

are

In a f u n c t i o n i n g

Important

citizens well-informed. this

be

are

which

prudent

keeping

t h i n g and

to

that;

been b e f o r e .

S t a t e s we

citizens

r a d i o programs and

the

or

directly

must r e c a l l , however, t h a t

i s one

knowledgeable or

are

tend

this

p r o b l e m s fvl h a v e d e s c r i b e d

about the w e l l - i n f o r m e d

commonly t o l d

but

Knowledge i s of

responsible citizen

expresses

rather

senses,

facts which

form of government i n which people

i n America

democracy a

$$yi$$X&

to concern

these

a person

who

While

i n our

to

Knowledge every

relationships. was time

the

i n f o r m a t i o n i s news i n i t s s t a c c a t o

most

should

respect

starvation

i n so

opinion

f a r as i t i s n e c e s s a r y

and t o keep o u t o f p r i s o n .

g o e s bey/|oJl t h a t , i s v o l u n t a r y tyranny

and i s l i k e l y

submission t o an

to interfere

with both

kinds

Russell likely in

The e x p e r i e n c e o f

o f ways.

suggests however to avoid

a democracy

neither

opinions

o f mankind

somekhat

less elagant

The

i t ' s better

moral

to

have

as

was

the

of

find

pjib?-B*-. W i l d t a n d

p l e

who / t o l d t h a t

Billings

who

i s how

f o r t h e opinion-} o f m a n k i n d

of

o f I n d e p e n d e n c e , b u t we opinion

by t h e p r e s e n c e

and t h e omnipresence

Our task

The t e s t

f o rthe

a n d women i n a d e m o c r a c y

respect

a l l confront

the resoucee

But the problem

t o know w h a t a i n t s o .

o f the American people

age.

view are

to accept the

o f humerous J o s h then

Bertrand

i n the Declaration

a t t h e same t i m e

the tyranny

imaginings.

test you w i l l

0

i n the D e c l a r a t i o n

omniliteracy

any o t h e r

e

osmr

t o as a decent r e s p e c t

counsel

and t e l e v i s i o n ,

Jefferson's

p

and then

a decent

stated

t

that

unnecessary

starvation nor prison.

f o r e d u c a t e d men

such

radio

a

t o know n o t h i n g

h a v e new p r o b l e m s , of

h

avoid

h a p p i n e s s in a l l

i s how t o d e v e l p p J e f f e r s o n

oi(r I n d e p e n d e n c e r e f e r r e d

said,

t

But anything

to

have grown

i s greater

of education i s the ability

o f independent

o f press..-

than

beyond the citizens

i n our time,

o r one

f o r e a c h o f us t o

judgement.

Thank y o u .