@ucbalumnus again, your example is nice to read about but is only about the academic excellence of 1 individual from 1 CC. i have never said that intellectuals do not exist everywhere. my focus is on the colleges that host such individuals. your example says nothing of the intellectual environment at the CC he graduated from and whether they have similar debates there as in say a Swarthmore dorm. academic achievements of a handful of exceptional individuals do not qualify the CCs they graduated from as having provided great environments for philosophical discussions.
you are missing the point. we are not judging individuals, we are judging college environments.