Sentence:  There is however no point in <WSD>speculating</WSD> about such a possibility : the fact of the matter is that our institutions of higher learning owe their existence to a spirit not unlike that which produces the `` family business '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion