Letters | Let’s not agree to disagree. Productive disagreement is what world needs
Readers discuss how to better develop shared solutions to global challenges, content creation ethics, and Anti-Asian discrimination
A glimpse of the solution for them might be found right in my dorm’s common room. The gatherings here look like a scene from a school brochure: we’re not only racially diverse, we also represent three continents, five religions, the full spectrum of political beliefs and a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Besides the usual chatter about school, we have debates about politics, culture and religion – all the topics one is supposed to avoid in polite company.
But this is not polite company. We frequently take controversial, even offensive, positions on thorny topics. It would be easy to dismiss our discussions as the boneheaded joking of teenage boys, but for me, the common room is a laboratory where we test hypotheses for the world. Safe among trusted friends, I can say anything and my peers feel free to shoot my ideas down, agree, or help refine them by pointing out flaws in my arguments.
More than anywhere else, this setting helps me understand others’ views – and my own. The more time I spend in the adult world, the more I realise how anomalous this experience is.
Adults prioritise being inoffensive. When they reach an impasse, I often hear, “Let’s agree to disagree,” and the conversation ends. What a wasted opportunity to learn how someone else sees the world.
Just to be clear, I’m not advocating that we offend one another. Politeness and respect are necessary in a healthy society. But the “civil” in civil discourse isn’t about good manners. It’s about building a society where we can work together despite our differences. And to do that, we need to develop greater tolerance for, and the skills to engage in, productive disagreement.