Harvard's Intellectual Vitality

<p>From the reports I get from my son, going to Harvard seems a bit like living in Manhattan: the trick isn't finding fascinating things to do; it's figuring out how to choose from among the multitude of possibilities.</p>

<p>Just last week, for instance (the first week of classes), my son attended two talks, both of which he enjoyed immensely. One, by former International Criminal Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Richard J. Goldstone, concerned international law and politics (The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: Goldstone Talks Politics, Law). The other, by superstar law professor (and recent Harvard hire) Cass Sunstein, concerned free speech in the age of the Internet (Sunstein</a> to deliver annual Constitution Day lecture — The Harvard University Gazette). </p>

<p>What's notable, of course, isn't what my son chose to attend. It is that these talks, fascinating as they were, represented only a very small tip of a very, very large iceberg. To switch metaphors, for anyone who's intellectually hungry, Harvard (and the greater Cambridge community) delivers a feast, week in and week out.</p>

<p>(I only wish that I could partake of it myself - but that's a whole other story.)</p>