Shirley Williams (the philosopher's first wife) was a major figure in British politics for many decades; her passing has led to many obituaries, including this one which included the following striking brief comment:
Her marriage to Bernard Williams was happy enough, but suffered from the inevitable difficulties of two ambitious people pursuing different careers. Life was never easygoing with her first husband, a restless, witty, attractive, sometimes cruel intellectual.
"Sometimes cruel intellectual"? Does anyone have an idea what this is supposed to mean?
