Rebuttal vs Retraction

A time to build up
A time to break down
--The Byrds

Interesting piece discussing growing tendency for academics to demand journals to retract published articles that they do not agree with. The traditional academic way has been to rebut research that contains what are considered falsehoods. This is what scholars are supposed to do--use their thinking skills to argue their way thru competing hypotheses and propositions on the way to the truth.

Emotion or ad hominem do not apply in this process.

Unfortunately, cries for retraction rather than rebuttal are wholly consistent with trends toward intolerance of ideological diversity in higher ed.