NYU Professor of Philosophy and Law Kwame Anthony Appiah, Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Emeritus, ​was the keynote speaker at this year’s Baccalaureate service, the first official University Commencement activity of 2023.
 
A faculty member in the Department of Philosophy from 2002–2014, Appiah’s remarks focused on the power of paying attention: to oneself, to others and to the world around us. “It seems to me increasingly that an ethical life can almost be defined in terms of habits of attention,” he told graduating students at this year’s interfaith service, concluding with “I can promise you this: pay attention, and attention will pay you back.”
 
Read Appiah’s complete Baccalaureate remarks. Read the full story on the University home page.