Sachs framed the central choice facing the graduates as a contest between two age-old ideas. The first — that the world is dangerous and competitive, that you must grab what you can before someone else does — had given rise to the Arizona immigration code, indefinite detention without trial, and the Goldman Sachs culture of 'buyers beware.' The second — that human beings are designers and problem solvers capable of recognizing their flaws and aiming to do better — had inspired the volunteers in Haiti, the innovators building social networks for the marginalized, and the scientists working on clean energy. Sachs didn't deny the need for vigilance, but he insisted that choosing cooperation over competition would benefit everyone, while choosing aggression and defense would condemn humanity to waste resources and miss opportunities for mutual advantage.