Can We Disagree Better?

Learn to disagree better through “adversarial collaborations.”

Today’s world is rife with bitter hatred and contempt, especially regarding politics. But how can humans discuss their differences in a constructive, rather than deleterious, way? In life, people are taught how to get along harmoniously, but that teaching rarely extends to how to disagree or engage in healthy conflict. 

The aim isn’t to eliminate conflict. That would be counterproductive. Instead, people must learn how to have civil, constructive “adversarial collaborations.” This term, popularized by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, describes a framework in which two people with opposing perspectives work together to resolve the matter under dispute. Both parties collaborate by designing a study or experiment that aims to further knowledge of the controversial topic. The parties set ground rules – say, agreeing in advance to let the data determine who is right. To benefit from an adversarial collaboration, both parties ultimately must admit where they were wrong and what they learned from the experience.

To engage ...