The Declaration of Independence: An Enduring Solution for the Challenges of Our Time

Professor Richard Kezirian will focus on the Declaration of Independence as a statement of principles, emphasizing that those principles are among the noblest in world history.  After reviewing key sections of the Declaration, he will ask if the time has come to reclaim our nation’s patrimony by recognizing its national commitment to equality.

In Homer’s Odyssey, crafty Odysseus faced the irresistible song of the Sirens, adapted to each listener.  Have the internet algorithms of today created a digital Siren song that confirms what each of us wants to hear? Dr. Kezirian will suggest that the Declaration’s lofty ideals can inspire us once more to promote community and egalitarian values, countering the malign neglect so often fostered by the “bubbles” that characterize our online lives.

Richard Kezirian is professor emeritus, Monterey Peninsula College, after a forty-year teaching career, and currently a professor at The Panetta Institute for Public Policy.  He has also taught as an adjunct professor at the Naval Postgraduate School and the Monterey Institute of International Studies.  Kezirian was the recipient of the Allen Griffin Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1986 and the Monterey Peninsula College President’s Award in 2014.  He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of California at Santa Barbara.