Several moves might steer scholarship in a better direction. First, the culture of the community must change. By necessity, it has been a culture that has stressed issues of survival, expansion, and diffusion. This has inadvertently sidelined some elements central to community development, such as the arts and scholarship. But rarely is this the theme for a conference, the slogan for a new campaign, the motivating force behind a new initiative.
Future work promises more.
Second, improving scholarship requires phasing in more rigorous peer review in a shift away from purely institutional appraisals, whose first concern is to avoid the Faith's misrepresentation. Fourth, increased specialisation must be matched by increased accessibility. Scholars can only hope to lure larger audiences and retain the interest of their colleagues by expressing their ideas in clear, economical prose. The significance of more esoteric subjects should then speak for itself. Truth, after all, depends on a collision of opinions.