The UO held an international conference on The Promise of Reason to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the influential book The New Rhetoric by Chaim Perelman and Lucie Olbrechts-Tyteca. In this opening plenary session held on May 17, 2008, UO Philosophy Professor Scott Pratt reflects on Perelman’s “First Philosophy and Regressive Philosophies,” and UO English Professor and UNESCO Chair Steven Shankman speaks on “Creating a Culture of Dialogue and Peace.”