ABSTRACT
How had it all come to this? Weren’t scientists the ultimate seekers after truth? Wasn’t healthy debate desirable? Was counter-argument no longer welcome? Was the ‘Hobbit’ a hoax, a plot, or a conspiracy? Was it all a series of unfortunate mistakes – a storm in a teacup? Surely, all the finely educated minds gathering around the controversy were more than capable of consensus, of putting aside the trivial concerns of lesser mortals and reaching a conclusion based on ethics and integrity and good science? How could intelligent, well-intentioned people become so obstinately divided?
