it's possibleto admire oprah winfrey and still wish Harvard hadn't awarded her an honorarydoctor of law degree and the commencement(毕业典礼)speaker spot at yesterday's graduation.There's noquestion Oprah's achievements place her in the temple of American successstories. Talent,charm,and an exceptional work ethic have rarely hurled anyoneof world's most successful entertainment icons and the first African-Americanfemale billionaire.
Honorarydegrees are often conferred on non-academic leaders in the arts,business,andpolitics.Harvard's list in recent years has included Kofi fi ,BillGates,Meryl Streep,and David Souter.But Oprah's list in recent years hasincluded Kofi ,Bill Gates,Mery1 Streep,and david souter.But Oprah'sparticular brand of celebrity is not a good fit for the values of a universitywhose motto(座右铭),Veritas,means truth.Oprah's passionate advocacyextends,unfortunately,to a hearty embrace of fake science.Mostnotoriously,Oprah's validation of jenny McCarthy's claim that vaccines causeautism(自闭症)has no doubt contributed to much harmthrough the foolish avoidance of vaccines.
Famous peoplearc entitled to a few failings, like the rest of us. and the choice ofcommencement speakers often reflects a balance of insututional pnonties andaspirations. Judging from our conversations with many students. Oprah was awidely popular choice.
But this voteof confidence in Oprah sends a troubling message at precisely the time whenAmerican univereities need to do more to advance the cause of reason. As formerDean of Harvard College. Harry Lewis, noted in a blog post about hisobjections. “It seems vcrvodd for Harvard to honor such a high profile popularizer of the irrational„„ at a timewhen political and religious nonsense so jeopardize the rule of reason in thisallegedly enlightened democracy and around the world.”
As America′s oldest andmost visible university. Harvard has a spccial opportunity to convey itsrespcct for science not only through its research and teaching programs butalso in its public affirmation of evidence-based inquiry.
Unfortunately，many American universitiesseem awfully busy protecting their brand name and not nearly busy enoughprotecting the pursuit of knowledge. A recent article in The Harvard Crimsonnoted the shocking growth of Harvard′s public relations arm in the last fiveyears and it questioned whether a focus on risk management and avoidingcontroversywas really the best outward-looking face of this great institution.
As Americanresearch universities begin to resemble profit centers and entertainment complexes, it’s easy tolose sight of their primary mission; to produce and spread knowledge.This missiondepends on traditions of rational discourse and vigorous defense of the scientificmethod.Oprah Winfrey’s honoray doctorate was a step in the wrong direction. How did Harry Lewis react to Harvard’s decision in his blong post（）