Why institutions thrive on disagreement

President Alan Garber at Morning Prayers.

Photos by Veasey Conway/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jason Sweet

Harvard Staff Writer

September 2, 2025 3 min read

Garber points to value of argument in sustaining communities at first Morning Prayers of school year

Harvard President Alan Garber urged students and faculty to embrace disagreement as necessary to the vitality and advancement of meaningful institutions at the first Morning Prayers of the academic year.

In a packed Appleton Chapel, Garber began by reading from the successful 1886 petition to end compulsory attendance at Morning Prayers — a requirement that had been in place for 250 years.

The petitioners vigorously argued their case. But they also allowed that the ritual was not without value, possessing the potential to “bring the passing and casual under the shadow of the eternal; to make a man feel that amid the confusion of his hurried life, he can lay hold of an unvarying, underlying truth.”

“That was a tall order in 1886,” remarked Garber, “taller still in 2025, especially on the first morning of what will likely be a very challenging year marked by events outside our control.”

Nearly a century and a half later, Garber asked, “What truth might we lay hold of now?”

To answer the question, Garber reflected on the “vast, wonderful, and pervasive sense of curiosity” he observed in his 13 years as the University’s provost and chief academic officer.

“I witnessed many moments of joy and celebration punctuated by new questions, questions large and small, questions that seemed small but turned out to be large, questions too numerous to answer in a single career or even a lifetime,” he said.

Asking and reckoning with these questions was not always comfortable.

“Though our efforts often lead to affirmation and agreement,” he said, “they begin and proceed with confrontation and debate, fueled by a shared desire for deeper and richer understanding.”

Though individual work is important, he said, “success nearly always depends on a supportive but critical community.”

The first Morning Prayers of the academic year.

Garber shakes hands with attendees.

He cited his religion, Judaism, as an institution strengthened by disagreement. Central to Judaism is not just the Torah but also the Talmud — “an era-crossing record of ongoing rabbinical debate over the meaning of the Torah and its application to every facet of life.”

Garber described his own experience studying the Talmud and how the process of communal discovery — and argument — “helped sustain a religion and identity for millennia” after the destruction of the Temple and exile.

Ultimately, Garber argued that good-faith disagreements are fundamental to any strong community.

Just as institutions “stir and strengthen feelings of connection,” they also “challenge us to resist our inclinations, to confront our assumptions, and to develop the capacity to explore different views with the seriousness they deserve.”

At a time when the role of institutions such as Harvard has been thrust into the national discourse, Garber stressed the importance of remaining committed to their highest standards.

For him, that means leaving room for internal argument and discord — all with much bigger goals in mind.

“May this year bring opportunities for us to affirm and fulfill the commitment to veritas that unites and strengthens us as an institution and as a community,” he concluded. “And, as we argue, discuss, and work together under the shadow of the eternal, may our contributions to understanding — and the progress they enable — make our nation and the world a better place.”