I rarely blog about my research, primarily because some of the work that I’ve been doing is so controversial that it is best left undisclosed before it has been carefully reviewed for publication. (In the commencement speech, jump to 1:44:00 in) But, three aspects of David Souter’s speech at Harvard commencement struck me.
- Bill Gates was my commencement speaker. No offense Bill, but Souter’s speech was better. Regardless of which commencement speaker is better, the quality of the speeches exceeds anything that I’ll hear on FoxNews or MSNBC this decade.
- Notice that Justice Souter is discussing the ambiguity and contextual nature of facts. When we work on annotation projects in academia or business, why do we think there is no conflicting ambiguity within facts or our subjects? And, when bright minds do consider it, why are the methods available for analyzes so complex and difficult to harness?
- If Supreme Court justices, armed with staff and briefs prepared for them on the topic by the best legal minds in the country, have difficulty wrestling with ambiguity, why do we think a 20 year old may be able to interpret an incredibly complex world through an unfiltered or wise lens?
