The Virtue of Disagreement

"Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise."
(James Suroviecki, The Wisdom of Crowds)

Disagreement among scholarly minds is a great thing. When two or more viewpoints are expressed side by side, true learning can begin. As Plato once said, "One debates and learns in so doing." It is not through agreement but disagreement that unity of purpose truly arrives. Why is this? It is easy to feel good when everyone agrees with you. When others disagree, and when you respect and encourage that disagreement, your level of respect for everyone in the process grows. The knowledge of everyone is augmented by your participation in the process of learning that comes through disagreement.

That process flows this way:
1. You pick up scraps of information and form an opinion, in accordance with your own paradigm.
2. That opinion and that paradigm are subjected to scrutiny as they are placed alongside other opinions, filtered through other paradigms. The conflict of notions occurs.
3. Each person analyzes the exchange and comes to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each position.
4. Those who recognize their own weaknesses learn from the strengths of other ways of thinking.

Every paradigm shift, every quantum jump in knowledge, has taken place because of the introduction of alternative viewpoints for open discussion.

“Bigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. education and free discussion are the antidotes of both.”
(Thomas Jefferson)

"Someone will say: Yes, Socrates, but cannot you hold your tongue, and then you may go into a foreign city, and no one will interfere with you? Now I have great difficulty in making you understand my answer to this. For if I tell you that this would be a disobedience to a divine command, and therefore that I cannot hold my tongue, you will not believe that I am serious; and if I say again that the greatest good of man is daily to converse about virtue, and all that concerning which you hear me examining myself and others, and that the life which is unexamined is not worth living - that you are still less likely to believe."
(Plato, the Defense of Socrates)

Now the skeptic will ask, "How are we able to discuss with one another without becoming enraged?"

The most important tenet of civil debate is to remain on topic. Let your discussion be about something, and let the points that you make support your premise. Stay away from personal comments, and refrain absolutely from attacking persons rather than opinions.

Secondly, think before you speak (or write). Instead of ranting about how wrong the other party is, consider his or her points. Try to understand the other person's way of thinking before reacting to it. If the person has said nothing personal about you, then do not make the matter personal. If your ideas are noble, and beneficial, and positive, then present them to the group for comparison. As John Bland said, "The truth has nothing to fear from discussion." When you do reply, respond but do not react.

Thirdly, remember that you cannot argue with someone's emotions, nor are you able to disagree with them competently. If someone begins to react emotionally, back off and praise her fervor. Praise his level of concern. Say such things expressly, in order to let your opponent know that you are discussing ideas rather than criticizing them as individuals.

Fourthly, do not be so eager to express your own view that you forget to listen to the opinions of others. Sometimes the most difficult truth to admit as that the other person was right. If someone has a better idea, recognize it and publicly acknowledge it. Be a puppy, not an attack dog.

Finally, when discussing other matters, be sure to agree and disagree according to your viewpoint. Sometimes, you will agree in one discussion with the same person with whom you disagreed in a prior discussion. Doing so allows people to recognize that you are not out to get any person in particular. You are merely expressing your philosophy -- a good thing indeed. If you find yourself disagreeing with someone simply because they are that person, withdraw from that discussion.

“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance."
(Robert Quillen)

It is through discussion that knowledge arises...
"For it is even necessary that there be differing schools of thought among you, so that the approved ones may also become apparent."
(Paul, 1C 11:19)
...and it is through discussion that freedom is established...
“Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.”
(Hubert H. Humphrey)

...but we must monitor ourselves between discussions, to ensure that our motives remain pure. We must remain focused on learning through discussion. It should not be our goal that we persuade everyone that our opinions are the right ones; it is enough that our viewpoints are heard.

Burying a disagreement does not make it go away. On the contrary, it can make issues fester and become personal divides. Schisms are to be avoided at all cost, but we must treat our collegial relationships with the responsibility and care that are due any partnership. Just as in a marriage it is not useful to bring up every perceived act of wrongdoing when a disagreement arises, so too it is not beneficial among colleagues. Let the past remain there unless a point is particularly appropriate to the specific discussion at hand. At the end, shake hands (literally or metaphorically), and recognize publicly that the discussion is not personal but is productive. Thank the other persons for participating together with you.

Such was the method of Socrates -- a method that was most useful at many ancient and modern sites of learning. Therefore, let's discuss openly with one another the things that matter to us, and let us treat one another with equality and dignity as we do this.

"All residents of a community need regular opportunities to express their attitudes, feelings and disagreements about community matters."
(Dr. Terry L. Besser, Iowa State University)