Panel discussions: Is there any hope?

Recently at a meeting of a scientific society I found myself listening to a panel discussion ostensibly devoted to give‐and‐take discussion of a certain topic dear to my heart. I have attended—and participated in—several such discussions, and have usually found them less helpful than one would wish. I had never understood the reason for this, but, as I listened, something said by one of the panelists struck a responsive chord inside me. I soon recognized the deep truth of what he said, and a whole host of previous panel experiences were thereby illuminated.

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