Bhubaneswar, June 19 -- By Prasanna Mishra

The title of this short piece shifts attention away from the fate of ideas toward the character of the thinker. Acceptance becomes secondary; the primary question becomes whether we continue to cultivate minds capable of conceiving what is good, just, and beautiful. That is a deeper and more enduring concern.

The title also creates a productive tension. One would naturally ask: Why is noble thinking a moral imperative? The essay tries to answer that question by arguing that human progress depends on our willingness to entertain higher possibilities, regardless of whether they are immediately accepted.

One of the quiet truths of human progress is that good ideas are not always accepted when the...