India, Nov. 24 -- I blinked twice when I read what the Delhi police told the Supreme Court. They said that sometimes intellectuals are more dangerous than a terrorist. Was this the voice of a non-intellectual thinker, because it was a terrible statement?

One of the first signs that a nation is toddling towards authoritarianism is the sudden suspicion of people who think. Not people who throw stones or lob grenades, but people who hold a pen or a thought. History shows this repeatedly. When rulers feel insecure, they lock up thinkers. They put them behind bars and announce that peace has been maintained.

They confuse silence with safety. They forget that ideas have feet. They forget that ideas walk through walls. They forget that the que...