By definition, controversies are “discussions of questions in which opposing
opinions clash” (Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary Unabridged). Few
would deny that controversies are a pervasive part of the human condition and
exist on virtually every level of human enterprise. Controversies transpire between
individuals and among groups, within nations and between nations. Controversies
supply the grist necessary for progress by providing challenges and
challengers to the status quo. They also create atmospheres where strife and warfare
can flourish. A world without controversies would be a peaceful world; but
it also would be, by and large, static and prosaic.