Agreeing to Disagree, Steps to Solve Political Polarization

Disagreement is one of the most important principles of a democracy.  If everyone always agreed on the issues then we would never get a thoughtful thorough discussion on what might be the best course of action.  In fact it is in our human nature to question our world and rules that we live by, some people do this more than others, but this is one of the psychological differences that separate us from other mammals.  These questions have led us from believing the earth is flat, to landing on the moon, and maybe Mars someday.  However, sometimes this curiosity can develop into two or more polarized differing points of view.  These views can be directly opposite and so ingrained in one’s mind and heart so that they choose to see the world through that perspective, and thus a belief is formed. 

      A belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.  So for instance on a topic that tends to divide people like abortion, there are people that believe that abortion is a mothers right, and others that believe that it is wrong.  While the question of abortion will maybe never have a concrete answer, each side believes their stance is the correct one, and the other stance is incorrect or false.  The question differs from a question like “the snow is cold?” because everyone can agree that snow is cold.  What is important for you to understand when reading this book is that to the pro-choice person, abortion is right, and to them that is just as certain as the question of whether or not snow is cold.

      Many people have trouble empathizing with the alternate point of view; this is because it invariably results in us believing that snow is warm.  However sometimes if you can just for a moment, assume the beliefs of others, doing this will allow you to have a reasonable discussion with someone about a topic you may absolutely disagree on.  While you may not end up believing that snow is warm when you finish the conversation, you might learn something about why they believe the way they do, and even about why you believe the way you do.