The High Court’s decision on whether or not to give leave to Peter Ridd to appeal his Federal Court loss may well come to be seen as one of the most critical decisions in our nation’s history. Hyperbole? Not at all. If a nation or indeed a civilisation ceases to uphold academic freedom as a fundamental cornerstone of its intellectual and cultural, not to mention legal, life, then it assigns itself and its citizenry to permanent vassal status, where the mandarins of the state dictate what is acceptable learning and what are permissible opinions.