Too few American college students have any idea what real intellectual engagement is like. Most of their professors are left-wing activists who bring up conservative or libertarian arguments only to ridicule them, and student bodies are dominated by progressive zealots who think they’re entitled to cancel anyone who disagrees with them.

One student who did not like the environment decided to do something about it. Sherman Criner, a junior at Duke, writes in today’s Martin Center article about the magazine he founded — with another student who is on the other side of the ideological divide.

He writes:

Despite these challenges, many others in the Duke community and I refused to accept that civil discourse is impossible or that ideological orthodoxy must be the default state of university life. That is why I co-founded The Lemur: Duke’s Big Ideas Magazine — to challenge prevailing narratives, create a genuine platform for intellectual engagement, and prove that meaningful dialogue can and should thrive on college campuses.

Many students (and faculty members) will find this to be a startling concept — a place where anyone can make an argument and the only rule is that the discourse must be civil.

Criner elaborates on his venture: “One of our flagship initiatives is the Uncommon Ground series, which pairs a liberal and a conservative in conversation on contentious issues. This series demonstrates that common ground is not a myth — it is something that can be achieved when people approach discourse with an open mind and a willingness to listen.”

Reading The Lemur might be the best education Duke students get.