> Those aren't real intellectual disciplines, so naturally the professor discourages debate. I think we should distinguish a topic from those paid to teach abo

> Those aren't real intellectual disciplines, so naturally the professor discourages debate. I think we should distinguish a topic from those paid to teach about it. It seems to me that regardless of how silly we consider a particular set of beliefs to be, we might gain useful knowledge by studying (with intellectual rigour) why people hold those beliefs, how societies react to the ideas, etc. But I'm sure it's equally possible for some areas of study to attract foolish or undisciplined professors, and for that pattern to become self-sustaining.