Why can't they just all get along?
I wondered this as I investigated the seventh paper for that week's readings. I was in my third semester of graduate school and we were diving into the deep end of reviewing literature and understanding past authors' point of views.
One paper said this. The other paper said the opposite. Who was closer to the truth?
The authors could have been contemporaries or they could have been decades apart. Thankfully, our class discussions brought these ideas into the same space. We learned to empathize with each author's perspective and where they were coming from. Furthermore, each student came in with different experiences and filters to view the world.
After many of these discussions, I realized this: these papers had to offer a strong case for their perspective. If the strongest argument wasn't put forward, how could we know whether or not everyone had made their best effort?
Our instructor explained: these ideas must be presented with conviction. Stepping into this intellectual arena meant that you came with good intentions. Often, the authors were friends in real life. Everyone knows that there are nuances not captured in writing.
However, in this world of concepts, you needed to clearly and concisely present your case
Remove unnecessary hedging and excess words
The details can be brought out in real conversation, just like we were having in class
Don't be scared to unmute yourself
Have a dialogue so you can understand the other person better
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