I’m entirely on George’s side, of course. But it is amazing how much this reflects the nature of academia. Here are two brilliant men, titans in their fields, who finally become enemies not because one is pro-infanticide and the othe pro-life, but because a debate about schedules and format became symbolic of huge moral and political differences. I think George has every reason to be miffed at Singer. But this is a good cautionary tale about how many important personalities end up at each other’s throats. Often, it’s not first principles but first slights around which battle-lines are drawn.