Intellectual culture

"Let people argue. As long as they are not insulting each other (insulting ideas is okay) then let them go. Arguing is one of the ways we learn. That is how you test your ideas to see if they are strong. Apparently, we were all supposed to spare the feelings of [...] proponents to accommodate them. Nuts to that. This notion that people's ideas should be shielded from challenge makes for a weak intellectual culture [...] You have some crazy notion you believe in? Defend it." (J.P.Whipple)