Thought

People have lost the ability to disagree.

Some will downright lose their minds if you see the world differently from them.

I lost a friendship earlier this year over my worldview. It was their choice to end the friendship, not mine. He simply couldn’t stand the fact that I didn’t believe what he believed.

To stand up for what you believe in has always come with a heavy price.

Many of the great truth-tellers of the past were put to death.

The goal isn’t to go around looking for a fight and shouting your beliefs from every corner, but if someone asks how you see things, you have a solemn duty to tell it like you see it.

Even if it means the other person gets offended. Even if it means the other person ends the friendship.

Never give in to censorship.

So, when confronted with a disagreement, how should you think about it?

First, remember that it’s the ideas that are at war, not the people. Up until 5 minutes ago, everyone knew that words could never hurt you.

Don’t get your feelings hurt over words and philosophies. It’s rare if someone agrees with you 100%. Learn to expect and accept disagreements as a matter of course.

Look at the dialogue as an opportunity: sometimes you want to win, but most times you want to acknowledge the two opposing viewpoints and move on.

With true friends, you can have a healthy debate and both come out the better for it.

If someone has a polar opposite worldview, you probably aren’t going to convince them of much. So, how can you use the interaction to your advantage?

Still state your opinion, but shift the focus away from proving your point. Get inquisitive about their position. Start asking questions. Dig deep into their psyche and study human nature itself. Learn why they believe what they believe. Who knows, you may find gold in unlikely places.

The most important thing is to never be a wimp. Never pretend to go along with something you don’t believe, no matter the price, it’s cheaper than being silenced.

Tactic

If you want to become a philosopher, you need to understand one thing:

The point of an argument isn’t to win. It’s to discover the truth.

Dialogue is one of the greatest tools we have to uncover our misconceptions and clarify our understanding of reality.

People who use rhetorical tricks to win arguments are called Sophists.

In the time of Socrates, the Sophists charged money to teach Rhetoric. The main thrust of their education was to win arguments and sway opinions.

Then came Socrates: he prized wisdom above winning and taught his students for free.

I guarantee you Socrates still won arguments frequently, but that wasn’t his primary objective.

He primarily sought the truth.

Tome

Tool

I hope this week’s 4 T’s have your T levels surging!

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In Victory,

Alex

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