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DEBATE AND CONFLICT

How can I understand my opponent when we have different opinions? This is an interesting question, partly because we all have differences of opinion, and surely we see them every day in politics. To help you understand, we will give you the principal techniques.


A. It’s all in the axioms. Many disagreements stem from a difference in what both of you believe to be true (or correct) when you create your viewpoints. Change the axioms and you will wind up with different conclusions. This assumes other conditions, such as your logic, remain the same.

B. Misconceptions or misunderstandings. What this means is that your opposite has a misunderstanding or misconception of something that causes conflicts in your understanding. These take some time to uncover. It is easier to detect for math problems. Often misconceptions cannot be simply revealed as they are intertwined with the belief system. They have to be self-discovered. I recommend you drop the conflict or debate.

C. Logical fallacies. Sometimes, particularly during a debate your opposite will use logic incorrectly thereby arriving at some false conclusion. Detecting these can be difficult, partly because you have to know them, and know what to look for in detecting them.

D. Differing beliefs. You both believe something different is true and you base your understanding upon that. It could be you are both wrong, but still be on the alert for differing beliefs. Many religious arguments have this flavor. Differences based on differing, even small beliefs are difficult, if not impossible, to repair. Many times we see these as between sects of a given faith. A more modern type involves accepting something as misinformation/disinformation while you see it as fact. Finally, and remarkably, this also happens in new science. Older scientists can be reluctant to see their preferred theory replaced by a new one.

These are a few ways to reconcile whether you are correct and why your opponent is wrong. Of course, you may be the one making one of these errors.
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