For a variety of reasons...

I'm not going to do too much blogging about the controversy surrounding the creation of the Milton Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago; this is all I've said so far, and I don't think I'll write any other long posts. I think the MFI is a very good idea, far more likely to do the university proud than otherwise; it's pretty clearly going to come into existence; so what's the point in further blogging about the opposition to it? And the relationship of libertarian-leaning academics to the Chicago departments whose members are well-represented among MFI opponents is a messy thing to talk about.

But it's noteworthy that, in a couple of days, Marshall Sahlins and Thomas Frank have... really not done any favors for the MFI opponents. I continue to disagree with iLYA Somin's view that opposition to the MFI is really, simply, an instance of academic ideological intolerance. But Frank and (especially) Sahlins sure put pressure on my view, and make Ilya's look that much more plausible.

See also: Brad De Long.