The words "protest" and "BYU campus" are rarely used in the same sentence. Yet when the university announced that Vice President Cheney would give a commencement address April 26, some BYU faculty and students were inspired to organize to express their displeasure.

Nobody expected they would be able to do it on campus. After all, this is BYU, where vocal dissent, even when honest and orderly -- and especially when directed at the administration -- has been deemed intolerable in the past.

And so it was quite a surprise to learn that the university is planning to allow faculty, staff and students to stage a demonstration on campus to express displeasure with the decision. This is great news -- all the more because it will not shake the foundations of the university. It is a healthy sign.

The protest will take place Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the quad next to the library.

We commend BYU for allowing this exercise in public discourse, not because of any view we might have of Cheney but because tolerance of dissent is a fundamental American principle. And it is especially important in an academic community. John Milton, the great English poet and essayist, wrote: "Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making."

How can anyone learn if they are not exposed to conflicting ideas? It is through debate in a free marketplace of ideas -- where the collision of truth and error is encouraged -- that truth is revealed and intellectual muscles are built up.

Too often, in our increasingly polarized society, people and institutions seek validation rather than honest debate. It is easier to confirm prejudices than to be exposed to contrary perspectives that may induce thought or -- gasp! -- cause one to reconsider a past position.

Considering many points of view -- even if it ends with an agreement to disagree -- is the mark of a genuinely educated person.