Chancellor Struppa , President Doti, distinguished members of the faculty, parents, families, friends, and especially, the graduates:

It is a great honor for me and my wife Ruth to take part in your graduation day, to address your commencement ceremony and to receive a Doctorate degree from your esteemed university.

It is also a very timely honor -- because I skipped my graduation ceremonies, all three of them.

This was my teenage rebellion, very fashionable in the 1960's: "Who cares for ceremonies and symbols, caps, gowns and speeches? It is the knowledge that counts, right?"

Wrong!

I deeply regret not having gone to my graduations in 1965 and, you know why? Because, in some mysterious way, and I am not a mystic, it made me feel that my degree was somewhat fake or improperly earned.

And I should have known better.

Coming from computer science -- the science of symbols, I should have known how important symbols are to the Workings of the mind, and to the workings of society.

I should have noticed that, in all primitive societies, initiations to adulthood are consummated, not by signing documents, not even by passing a test, but by a ritual communal dance, with feather hats and dragon masks and all the tribal chiefs and the village elderly and women and children present.

And since the neural architecture of modern man is not much different than that of the hunting caveman, I should have known not to skip my tribal dance - - My graduation.

I know better now. I know that it is not the signature on your diploma that counts, but the statement of deservedness that you will be making by stepping up to this stage and receiving your degree in the presence of your teachers, families and peers who will bear witness to, and cheerfully approve of your claim for accomplishment 

That is what counts, and that is what you will remember.

And that is why we put on these funny caps and gowns, so you will retain a visual memory of this tribal dance.

Why?

Because it is only through a communal testimony that your accomplishments becomes embedded in a relevant and meaningful framework, larger than yourself, and it is only through this mental framework of an extended tribal community that you will be able to apply what you have learned in a way that would make it meaningful and rewarding to you for the rest of your life.

So, what tribal community you are joining today?

The cap and gown that I wear divulge its name; It is the tribe of "freedom fighters." Yes, it is a very trendy name today but, don't worry, you are not being recruited into some shady terrorist group.

No, This cap and gown were first worn at the University of Padua, Italy, in the 13-14th century, the place where Galileo later taught and where he invented the telescope (1608) and discovered the amazing fact that physics listens to the language of algebra (1632.)

Just to have the illusion that I am emulating Galileo, in his funny outfit, sends a thrill down my spine because, to me, Galileo is the greatest freedom fighter of all times.

He demonstrated the inextricable connection between truth and freedom: You cannot have one without the other. To have freedom you must first find truth and to find truth you must have freedom to pursue it.

You show me a society that denies or distorts history and I will show you an economically backward and politically repressive society. Why? Because:

"Those who are dishonest when it comes to the truth of the past, are hardly in a position to reckon honestly with the problems of the present."

Galileo further showed us that you cannot have truth without freedom: Finding the truth demands intellectual honesty and intellectual honesty demands the audacity to question, the freedom to doubt, and the courage to challenge your most cherished truths.

We all remember the 1000 years of zero scientific progress through the middle ages -- what caused it? The conventional answer is that the Church did not permit scientific inquiry.

But this could not be the whole story, there was no repressive Church in the Muslim world. and most Muslim rulers encouraged scientific inquiry.

Muslim scientists had access to the richest libraries of the time, well-equipped astronomical observatories and all the writings of the Greek and Roman philosophers.

So why didn't a genius like Galileo emerge in Cordoba or Alexandria or Baghdad in the 8th or 9th century? Why was science held back, in almost total stagnation for 1000 years, until, as though by miracle, the genius of Copernicus, Vieta and Galileo emerged in dark-ages Europe, of all places?

Can you imagine where civilization would have been today had the renaissance and the scientific revolution taken place in the 5th century instead of the 15th?

What Galileo taught us is that permission to read, translate, observe and use fancy equipment is not enough; truth requires a restless and rebellious spirit, a spirit that puts the individual at the center of the universe and proclaims: "I don't care about Aristotle and his fancy books, I want to see these two objects falling from the tower of Pisa, and I want to see them with my own eyes."

In other words, what Galileo showed us is that you cannot truly search for the truth unless you are free to rebel against the detractors of truth: Conventional wisdom, peer pressures, sacred cows, wishful thinking, revered authority and hidden agenda, in short, free to perceive yourself as an AGENT, in control of your destiny, not an OBJECT, at the mercy of destiny.

The tools that you have acquired in this university qualifies you for membership in the Galilean tribe for they equip you, not only with methods of understanding and conveying truth, but also with the skill and courage to search for it on your own. These tools are your trust deed for the cap and gown you are wearing today.

And please do not take these tools for granted, It is not everywhere that freedom permeates the air we breath, that color-blindness and equality run in people's veins, that merit-based judgment is axiomatic and humor and introspection know no borders.

So, I congratulate you all today on joining the extended family of freedom fighters - with Galileo, Jefferson and Einstein --and I welcome you to the tribal dance of truth seekers, the dance of freedom and humanity.

I would like only to add a few words on behalf of our son, Danny.

On the way here, I have been thinking: What must it feel like to remember Daniel Pearl on your graduation day?

On the one hand, the thought of Danny's tragedy undoubtedly evokes feelings of anxiety and vulnerability.

If a person as gentle as he was can be murdered on account of being an American, and for living by the same principles that you aspire to uphold, then what does it say about the world in which we live and about the future of your generation?

On the other hand, an association with Daniel Pearl must also bring with it a sense of pride, hope and commitment.

As you know, Danny's face has become an icon that is immediately recognizable the world over, on both sides of the east-west divides, and represents America at its best.

It represents:

* An America that stretches a friendly hand to the less fortunate part of the world,
* America that cares and gives, without asking in return
* America that is true and honest, and builds cross-cultural bridges through dialogue and music -- a pen and a fiddle.

In other words, Danny's icon represents YOU, YOU at your best. Your schools, your professors your books, heritage and values at their best.

Therefore, your graduation today is more than just a family event. It is a statement of empowerment, defiance and triumph. The triumph of humanity and freedom, over the tyranny of hatred that took Danny's life.

As you will step on this stage to receive your degree you will also be sending a message to the rest of the world:

BEHOLD:

* the spirit of Daniel Pearl has not been silenced.
* The spirit of freedom and human dignity cannot be silenced,
* The spirit of friendship, curiosity, humor and playfulness will not be silenced.
* In sum, the spirit of America will not be silenced.

Because you are Daniel Pearl kins, and you will continue his spirit in your work and your travels and the people that you will meet and the ideas you will generate.

And you will not falter, because the rest of the world expects you to deliver -- -- you are the world's last beacon of hope, the elite force in the Army of Decency.

With this spirit of commitment, Ruth and I congratulate you again and wish you a creative and rewarding career.

Thank You.