Tag Archives: Debate

Help Wanted: Wise Leaders

Posted on February 5, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I won’t be watching the State of the Union address on television tonight. It’s nothing against Trump, who will tell us about all the YUUUUGE things he’s accomplished. Nor against Pelosi, who will be sitting there stone-faced with her minions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Cooperation, Debate, Jimmy Carter, Pelosi, Politics of personal destruction, Ronald Reagan, Social Conflict, Social harmony, SOTU, State of the Union, Trump | Leave a comment

Remain Calm, Even If All Isn’t Well

Posted on January 8, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

It’s easy to remain calm when everything is going well. But it’s more important to remain calm when everything isn’t going so well. One way I’m lucky is that I have friends and family members who disagree with me about … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Judaism, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Animal House, Calmness, Communication, Communication Problems, Debate, Disagreement, Diversity, Miscommunication, Misunderstanding, Rational, Rationality, Reasonable Debate, Serenity | 2 Comments

They’re Not Lying

Posted on December 21, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Do you have friends who say things that are obviously wrong? Maybe it’s politics, religion, gender, or some other touchy subject. This might help: Your friends aren’t lying. And they’re not evil, either, unless you have very bad judgment about … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Human Relations, Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Beliefs, Debate, Error, Evolutionary Legacy Principle, Evolutionary Psychology, Fallible, Human judgment, Infallible, Knowledge, Lying, Mistake, Tolerance | Leave a comment

How to Argue Productively

Posted on October 16, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

Most arguments aren’t productive. But argument can be productive if you do it right. The First Rule The first rule of productive argument is the same as in many other areas: Define your goals. Do you want to discover the … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Argument, Debate, Disagreement, Evidence, Rational Argument, Reason, Reasonable, Respect | Leave a comment

Can We See Past Our Own Foundations?

Posted on October 15, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

You can’t understand anything in terms of nothing. That much is obvious. What’s less obvious is that it’s a barrier to communication and understanding. Each of us has a foundational viewpoint that biases how we see the world. It includes … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Philosophy, Political Science | Tagged Debate, Disagreement, Open-minded, Rationality, Truth | 2 Comments

Do You Want to Believe?

Posted on November 21, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jewish Journal: After a bitterly divisive election season, there’s one question on everyone’s mind: “How can people possibly believe that?” What “that” is depends on who’s doing the talking. It means one thing to … Continue reading →