Finally, Harvey argues in the piece for a new role for geographers and other scholars, as intellectuals and
academics. This consists in developing arguments of such persuasive strength that "all opposition to that system
-of thought" will be mad€} to look ludicrous. And he includes the caution that academics, in such matters, are often
"our own worst opponents." Here Harvey is clearly referring to the difficulty of challenging the taken-far-granted
categories of thought and scholarly practice that often constrain the shift to new paradigms, particularly those that
also challenge the political status quo within which academics do their work. This, as Harvey concludes, becomes
especially difficult when the intersections between theory and practice are also a part of the changing mix. He lays
down a gauntlet in advocating the need for "real" as opposed to "merely liberal" commitment to social change,
and in the taunt that it is "indeed very comfortable to be a mere liberal." Many of these challenges continue to
reverberate through much of the work included in the remainder of the book.