At his final Commencement, Brown's president challenges graduates to give up cynicism for citizenship.
Cynicism sows suspicion and distrust, demeans hope and debases idealism.
It diminishes us all. I hope you have learned at Brown that education is not to be equated with the intellectual act of clever debunking and the elimination of all beliefs. Education does not advocate the debunking of all myths and moving beyond all values. Its aim is not to promote nihilism, a pathological fear of settled principles, or an incapacity for commitment. Its aim has never been to destroy everything and conserve nothing.