Serious differences generate serious discomfort for us all. Could that be why they’re so good for us?
It’s easy for any of us to assume that people disagreeing with our own views are influenced by ill-will, dishonesty or callousness. But what if we didn’t?
When we free our beliefs from the constraints and obligations of truth, we lose our greatest defense against toxic polarization.
When strong disagreements take place publicly, it’s no longer surprising when death threats occur – on both sides. Why is that? And what will it take to preserve space for productive disagreement in the days ahead?
Will we continue the patterns of contempt and division in this new America? Or will we reach for something better?
Despite the appearance of a sharp competition between coherent ideologies, could it be that America is divided by group loyalties and resentments more than anything else?
