Sometimes really smart, rational people disagree on big, important ideas. This is normal. The trick is for us to understand and respect each other anyway.
The people you think are wrong are not necessarily stupid or irrational. It's possible they have a different epistemology than you, and they haven't evaluated it objectively. The parts of their brain which fire off to give them "truth" may be the same parts of the brain that fire off for you. This is why working to improve our epistemology is so important.
Instead of "agree to disagree", let's double down on respectful discourse. If someone is dead set on not ever changing their mind, the discussion is then more about the audience who is still open to change than an opponent wanting a divisive debate.
We're all a product of our inputs up to this point. We all make mistakes. If we can't understand each other and respect each other, especially when we disagree, we'll be left with frustration, conflict, and even violence.
I shared this on Twitter:
And on Facebook:
And I wanted to share it here as well. The more we think about this stuff and walk it out, the more we can create a world we all want to live in.
Related posts:
- "These Idiots..."
- We Disagree. Are You Ignorant, Immoral, or Stupid?
- NVC: Violence Is a Tragic Expression of an Unmet Need
