There was a time when disputes between intellectuals made headlines and provoked editorials.
One of our young staff, Luther Ray Abel, raised an interesting point the other day in one of our subscriber-only letters about the kinds of issues that divide conservative intellectuals, causing long-time friends to turn on each other and become ex-friends.
Always one for comity and all hands on deck, it occurred to me: Is the quarrel Abel referred to, between one of our contributing editors and a fella at National Review Oliver Anthony, critical to our survival as a free society? Or is it of the academic politics variety, wherein intensity and stakes are inversely proportional?
