Less ego, more logic

Hurrah for a recent op-ed by Dana Steward, “Bring back civil discourse.” The ancient Greeks knew how, so why not us? Using competitive sports or war for a model, too many of us act like everything is a battle between two and only two sides. Your side, my side. There’s no middle ground. Yet in reality, life is not black and white, but rather shades of gray if not Technicolor.

In the middle of the fray, people don’t worry about the facts or contradicting themselves. Any tactic will do, including insults and dishonest arguments or fallacies. One ploy accuses the other guy of doing what you are doing (projection). Another quotes him out of context or attacks an exaggerated or made-up version of his argument (strawman). Other common fallacies are listed at yourlogicalfallacyis.com.

Attached to our own arguments and sources, some of us scorn traditional professions that find information or add to knowledge: science, journalism, university scholarship. They have their special methods and ethical codes, but we’ve got our pet websites. We know better.

Once decided on a narrative, many find it hard to change their minds when new facts come out. Some of us find conspiracy theories novel and exciting, and we believe them because they make the people we don’t like look bad. However, while everybody loves a story, most of us learned the difference between fiction and nonfiction when we were kids.

Some believe diplomacy is weakness, and compromise is an admission of defeat. But these constant battles leave no room for cooperation, alternatives, innovation, prevention, or envisioning the future. Public discourse conducted at this low level doesn’t bode well for a representative democracy. We need less ego and more logic. Try to raise your game— please! CORALIE KOONCE Fayetteville