Dumbing down the Books

[Eurytus]

I would think we could, with truth, admit that the plates shift. It does not mean that the centre does not hold.

This I agree with, my position from the start has always been against the totally uncritical viewpoint held by people I see on Tolkien boards from time to time.
An uncritical viewpoint which is in itself, damaging in my view. If you are uncritical then you are effectively just a sponge absorbing all the information a book throws at you. If you do not view it with a critical eye how can you explore its intricacies?