Your Freedom to Disagree: Critical to Advancing Society

 

I conjecture that differing opinions through human evolution have improved mankind's ability to cope and relate. If we are not challenged to understand varying perspectives, we go silent as a society and fail to evolve. From the very beginning of human evolution, societies have been propelled toward progress by the existence of a variety of differing opinions. Plato's Allegory of the Cave poignantly illustrates the perils of intellectual confinement and the transformative power of embracing differing opinions. It serves as a metaphor for the journey from ignorance to knowledge, emphasizing that we remain trapped in a limited understanding of reality without challenging our perceptions and considering alternative viewpoints. The allegory reinforces the central theme that societal advancement depends on our willingness to engage with diverse perspectives, question our assumptions, and collaborate to pursue deeper truths. By doing so, we not only enrich our minds and spirits but also contribute to the collective progress of humanity. Those opinions are not just a series of individual expressions but the in-the-plot moments of portraits of intellectual landscapes that push humankind toward enlightenment. When every individual perceives themselves as perfectly suitable (and in a world where opinion is king, this is a common perception), societies risk slipping into stagnation, trapped both in mind and spirit. In such a trap, confirmation bias reigns, and embracing the difference is the only antidote to what might, in the future, be termed the persistence of the past. Having opposing opinions is suitable for society. It is healthy for those societies and their members because it stimulates critical thinking. When individuals hold differing opinions, they are not merely going along with a group or authority figure. Instead, they are considering the matter at hand and are more likely to re-examine their belief systems. And this is what we want—a society full of individuals who are not only in agreement because they are capably leading up and down the chain of command but are also in agreement because they have led themselves and are capable of leading others to a place of re-examined healthier belief systems. In addition, exchanging diverse perspectives reduces the dangers associated with confirmation bias. This cognitive bias leads people to favor information supporting their beliefs while neglecting or discarding contradicting evidence. Societies that insulate themselves from opposing viewpoints are in grave danger of reinforcing their delusions. An insulated society is not an adaptive or innovative society. Historical examples abound, from the resistance to heliocentrism to the initial rejection of germ theory to all sorts of nonsense that uninterrupted societies have believed in and still believe in because they have no way of summoning the internal democratic imperative needed to get society to stop and think.

Adding to the count of intellectual diversity in society undoubtedly makes it more riveting. But that's not an end in itself. The point of making any society more intellectually diverse is to ensure that a variety of solutions to shared problems can be proposed and contested within that society. We have all heard about the "breakthrough" ideas, or ways of doing things, that emerge when "disparate" groups get together and "synthesize" their different kinds and forms of knowledge. We also know about the "friction" that the collaborative process sometimes generates, with some societies even being ordinances to a situation where different people sometimes don't get along. In addition, having different opinions is vital to the democracy we live in. It allows us to speak freely and engage in an open debate. At the core of our society is the value we place on the many different ways individuals can express themselves. A society that allows all of these different voices to be heard is better equipped to serve its constituents. To sum up, having various opinions is essential to advancing society. It is necessary to push people to think more deeply and do more mind workouts—especially the intellectual gymnastic stunts necessary for not falling into the comfort of confirmation bias. When people hold different opinions, it is essential for society not to argue at the level of "You are wrong" but instead at the level of "Let us figure this out together," which is a way for society to utilize better arguments in its conversation. A society that believes they are always right is undoubtedly doomed to fail.