Curiosity is the root of all real learning, argues Duke University computer scientist Jian Pei.
The Declaration at 250: Computer Scientist Jian Pei Reflects on Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
We invited Duke University faculty to reflect on the Declaration through the lens of their own discipline. Each contributor responded to a common prompt: “250 years later, how does your field help us understand, advance or challenge the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?”
By Jian Pei, Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science
Two hundred fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, computer science has never been more powerful — or more in need of two simple things: curiosity and being good.
Curiosity is the root of all real learning. It is what keeps a student staring at a broken algorithm at 2 a.m., asking “why” instead of walking away. Being good is the choice to use that knowledge wisely. Neither works without the other.
Consider Life. AI can now detect diseases, optimize supply chains and drive our cars. Curiosity pushes us to ask: “What else can this do?” But being good asks the harder question: “What should it never do?” A curious but ungrounded engineer might build a perfect surveillance system. A good engineer asks whom it protects and whom it harms. That is how computing advances life — not just by capability, but by conscience.
Consider Liberty. Technology has freed us to create, connect and learn across every border. Curiosity celebrates that freedom. But as I told Duke's Class of 2026, "Do not let speed become your only goal. Optimizing the wrong objective function can be very efficient — and completely wrong." Liberty without the discipline of being good is just chaos. Real freedom means choosing well. A curious mind explores every path; a good heart chooses the one that lifts others.
And the pursuit of Happiness? Happiness is not a metric to maximize. It lives in the late-night debugging session where a friend teaches you something new. It lives in the joy of understanding, not just output. Curiosity makes that joy possible. Being good makes it last — because happiness shared, built with integrity, is the only kind worth pursuing.
So here is my vision for the next 250 years: a world where every technologist is fiercely curious and unapologetically good. Ask why relentlessly. Then ask, “should we?” That is how computing serves life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — not by faster code, but by wiser hearts.
About This Series
On July 4, 1776, representatives of thirteen American colonies ratified the Declaration of Independence, announcing both a political separation from Great Britain and a set of aspirations for a new nation. The document was written with two goals: declare independence and justify it. The Declaration begins with a sweeping philosophical statement that has echoed across generations:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Two hundred and fifty years later, those words remain central to American civic life — even as their meaning and possibilities continue to be debated and reinterpreted. The nation’s semiquincentennial offers a moment to think more deeply about the American promise of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ and how those ideals have traveled across time.
These varied perspectives are a reminder that the Declaration is a living document — one that invites us to carry forward the aspirations articulated in 1776. Resonating far beyond the study of early American history, these ideals are reflected in and challenged by a range of disciplines, each offering us complimentary perspectives on how to pursue life, liberty and happiness today and in the 250 years to come.
