The endless old problem: When we discuss policy or politics, do we argue in order to win the day or to seek the truth? Thomas Friedman and Patricia Cohen explored the allure of both approaches.

What is academic writing? What is it good for? What are its strengths and weaknesses? The Writing Program at University of Chicago takes a wild run at the general topic by offering a spoofy academic sentence generator, which creates jargon-laden monsters at the click of a button. Samples:

• The politics of print culture carries with it the logic of civil society.

• The logic of print culture carries with it the politics of civil society.

• The politics of civil society carries with it the logic of print culture.

The site is kind enough to provide scholarly reviews on demand, too:

• Your crucial redefinition of the politics of print culture is a triumph of scholarship and critical acumen.

• Your desultory treatment of the politics of print culture deserves the obscurity into which it has fallen.