Beyond Dispute: Rediscovering the Jewish Art of Constructive Disagreement in Divisive Times

Lawyer and Israeli diplomat Taub (Parasha Diplomatit) draws deeply on Jewish tradition for this impassioned defense of productive disagreement as a vital “source of renewable intellectual energy.” Mining the Talmud, Bible, and his own experiences in conflict resolution, he sketches out a philosophy that sees individuals as intrinsically capable of accessing only a “partial and incomplete” version of the truth. A fuller picture can only be found by engaging in intellectual collaboration with others, Taub contends. He explains how readers can argue better by taking stock of their cognitive biases and mentally separating the content of the argument from judgments about their opponent’s character. More broadly, Taub suggests that organizations should foster dissenting perspectives by empowering junior employees to speak up, and preserve opposing views in official records. What emerges is an intelligent, well-grounded case that productive disagreement helps to build a society resilient enough to weather and learn from its differences (community “born of agreement is fragile”; community united in debate is “real and lasting”). It’s a persuasive case for the value of agreeing to disagree. (June)