Im going to assign my 15-year old daughter to read this. That circle square analogy blew me away.
I’ve always been blessed to be a counter-intuitive thinker. I can’t help but question every point of view from the other side.
I’ve found my greatest strength in dealing with polarization is not caring. Once you accept that people are flawed. That good people can have horrible ideas, it’s easier to avoid outrage.
I have never really gotten upset over a Presidential election. I’ve come to the conclusion that in two alternate universes, anyone individual daily lives would be virtually indistinguishable, with perhaps the exception of wars. And wars seem to happen independent of political leanings. Obama vs Trump for example.
Anyway, I hate that I know you are this smart. Takes the wind out of my sails for my substack.
It's tries to explore what she calls "high conflict" (in which the conflict becomes self-sustaining, and hooks people into interpreting everything in the context of the conflict) from good conflict which allows for the possibility of resolution.
I'd recommend the book. It's well written, very readable, and built around a number of memorable stories.
It's an ambitious topic, and I don't think it is completely successful in offering an explanatory framework and it sometimes flatters the reader a little too much (by implying that the reader is so much smarter than the people stuck in high conflict) but those are quibbles. I think it goes very well with this post.
Looks interesting! I’d add it to my list but my list is still way too long 🤦🏻♀️ Right now I’m reading Scout Mindset, also similar. I think the common theme is that when “the conflict” becomes a big part of your *identity* (an activist, a patriot), you start to make suboptimal decisions. If you were to ever admit you had something wrong, it would be a big blow, so you’re very motivated not to. Julia Galef says the antidote is to “hold your identity lightly” and adopt an identity where you are proud of changing your mind. I think it’s easier said than done, though. It seems inevitable that anything you take pride in has the capacity to bias you against people who don’t share your interests or actively oppose them. Round and round!
Im going to assign my 15-year old daughter to read this. That circle square analogy blew me away.
I’ve always been blessed to be a counter-intuitive thinker. I can’t help but question every point of view from the other side.
I’ve found my greatest strength in dealing with polarization is not caring. Once you accept that people are flawed. That good people can have horrible ideas, it’s easier to avoid outrage.
I have never really gotten upset over a Presidential election. I’ve come to the conclusion that in two alternate universes, anyone individual daily lives would be virtually indistinguishable, with perhaps the exception of wars. And wars seem to happen independent of political leanings. Obama vs Trump for example.
Anyway, I hate that I know you are this smart. Takes the wind out of my sails for my substack.
You're too kind. Your insights are fantastic and I enjoy reading everything you write, sending much wind back to your sails!!!
https://hesterscollide.substack.com/p/the-truth-is-in-the-combination?r=3gj6y&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=
Awesome!!! Looking forward to hearing Audrey’s perspective :)
I just started reading _High Conflict_ by Amanda Ripley -- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-excerpt-high-conflict-by-amanda-ripley/ -- which has a lot of overlap with this post.
It's tries to explore what she calls "high conflict" (in which the conflict becomes self-sustaining, and hooks people into interpreting everything in the context of the conflict) from good conflict which allows for the possibility of resolution.
I'd recommend the book. It's well written, very readable, and built around a number of memorable stories.
It's an ambitious topic, and I don't think it is completely successful in offering an explanatory framework and it sometimes flatters the reader a little too much (by implying that the reader is so much smarter than the people stuck in high conflict) but those are quibbles. I think it goes very well with this post.
Looks interesting! I’d add it to my list but my list is still way too long 🤦🏻♀️ Right now I’m reading Scout Mindset, also similar. I think the common theme is that when “the conflict” becomes a big part of your *identity* (an activist, a patriot), you start to make suboptimal decisions. If you were to ever admit you had something wrong, it would be a big blow, so you’re very motivated not to. Julia Galef says the antidote is to “hold your identity lightly” and adopt an identity where you are proud of changing your mind. I think it’s easier said than done, though. It seems inevitable that anything you take pride in has the capacity to bias you against people who don’t share your interests or actively oppose them. Round and round!