To say the words, “I agree”—whether it’s agreeing to join an organization, or submit to a political authority, or subscribe to a religious faith—may be the basis of every community.
But to say, I disagree; I refuse; you’re wrong—these are the words that define our individuality, give us our freedom, seize our attention, energize our progress, and make our democracies real.
To listen and understand; to question and disagree; to be willing to entertain unpopular ideas and cultivate the habits of an open mind—this is what I was encouraged to do by my teachers at the University of Chicago.
Intelligent disagreement is the lifeblood of any thriving society. Yet in the United States we are raising a younger generation who have never been taught either the how or the why of disagreement.
Can we do better?