Completely opposing viewpoints have been expressed amongst the members of our University College group in discussion. Arguments have been shot down point for point. People have been informed that the very facts that they are basing their arguments on are completely incorrect. However, we have done all of this in a certain manner. The aspect of our World Politics course that has most strongly captured my attention is the civility of our discussions.
Our civility enables us to break new ground. We shoot down each-others arguments point for point, but we then proceed to build them back up from scratch. We take opposite views and, rather than squabble endlessly and to no mutual benefit, we collectively realize that the truth lays somewhere in the middle. I have taken courses in high school somewhat similar to this one in potential – there, as here, laid the potential for mutually beneficiary debate resulting in constructive changes of mind for all involved. However, it appears as though in this course the potential will be realized, whereas before I have seen that potential lost.
When we return to class, and so return to debate, I hope that this trend of civility continues, for incivility breeds resentment, and resentment breeds contempt, and any contempt felt among the members of our course would spill into our residential lives in a potentially ugly manner.