America 250 Reminds Us Why Civil Dialogue Is Essential to Education and Democracy

By Mitch Siegler, Founder

The United States was founded on the principle of self-government. Our constitutional system depends on citizens who can discuss public issues, weigh competing arguments, and contribute to the democratic process. Throughout American history, progress has required debate, persuasion, and compromise. Those traditions depend upon our ability to engage with those who disagree in a constructive way.

Learning about this begins when you’re young, and schools have a responsibility to teach students how to engage thoughtfully and respectfully with people who hold different views.

We’re constantly encountering information, opinions, and competing perspectives, some false and many hateful. As AI takes hold, this will only accelerate. We all must navigate complex issues, participate in civic life, and work alongside people whose experiences and beliefs may differ from our own. These realities make civil dialogue an essential part of education.

Across society, disagreements – even on seemingly trivial issues – have caused rage, tribalism, and mutual suspicion and often led to terrible outcomes. Social media platforms reward outrage and certainty rather than nuance and reflection. On many college campuses, controversial speakers have been met with demands that they be disinvited, shouted down, or prevented from speaking altogether. The 2024 campus encampments drove home the point that civil dialogue and mutual respect are endangered species at many of our most “elite” universities.

Often, people feel pressure to remain silent rather than risk criticism, or even ostracism, for expressing a dissenting viewpoint. In a phenomenon that has been called the “Big Sort,” Americans are even physically avoiding those who disagree with them by clustering themselves among those who share their political and cultural views. When people seek affirmation of their own worldview rather than understanding, they become less curious, less thoughtful, and more narrow-minded. Over time, these short-circuited habits of mind shape the culture of schools, communities, institutions, and society at large.

All of this concerns us and should concern anyone who cares about education, a healthy public square, and our democratic republic. History demonstrates that society benefits when individuals can exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and engage one another in good faith. History is also replete with examples of societies that did not prioritize these values – often, things ended badly. Any society, organization, or nation suffers when disagreement is treated as a threat rather than an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve.

It is easy to be civil to someone who agrees with you. It is easy to criticize the “other side” – be it the other political party or the group or individual with divergent opinions. But civil dialogue – true dialogue – requires a willingness to recognize that reasonable people can evaluate the same information and reach different conclusions. That’s okay. In fact, it should be celebrated. It’s in places like the Soviet Union, Communist China, Assad’s Syria, and Cuba where everyone “agrees” and the ruler gets 99% of the vote. These shouldn’t be our models.

Students who never encounter viewpoints different from their own are deprived of an important opportunity to strengthen their reasoning, test their assumptions, and deepen their understanding of complex issues. Civil dialogue also builds confidence, strengthens arguments and prepares young people for the real world and the twists and turns that life will bring.

Students benefit from learning how to evaluate evidence, ask questions, identify assumptions, and analyze competing claims. Those abilities grow stronger when they encounter different viewpoints and have opportunities to discuss them openly. Like muscles, critical thinking skills and the ability to engage in civil dialogue atrophy when they are not practiced.

Those prepared to defend their ideas are more likely to develop independent judgment. They learn how to support their views with evidence, listen carefully to others, and refine their thinking when presented with new information. These habits serve them throughout their lives, including in civic affairs, higher education, careers, and relationships. These skills will be absolutely, positively essential in the AI era.

Scientific discovery, entrepreneurship, technological advancement, and creative achievement all depend upon the free exchange of ideas. Breakthroughs in science, technology, art, and business have frequently emerged because someone was willing to question conventional wisdom, propose a new approach, or challenge an existing assumption. Organizations and institutions thrive when people can share ideas freely, examine competing perspectives, and engage in productive discussion.

THINC Foundation believes critical thinking skills and civil dialogue deserve a central place in education and society at large. Parents agree with us – in our nationwide survey of more than 2,200 parents, 91% agreed that teaching students the concepts of mutual respect and cooperation, including when there are differences of opinion, is important.

In fact, THINC prioritizes civil dialogue so much that the first module of the high school ethnic studies curriculum we are developing is titled “Socratic Dialogue: Civil Dialogue and the Pursuit of Self-Knowledge.” The concept of respectful dialogue is woven throughout the entirety of the curriculum.

Students should graduate from high school with knowledge of history, civics, and culture, along with the ability to engage thoughtfully with people from different backgrounds and perspectives. They should possess the confidence to think independently and the maturity to participate constructively in difficult conversations.

Sadly, too few of them do, which leads to the radical intolerance prevalent on too many college campuses – and increasingly in workplaces and our society.

A diverse, striving, and thriving country must contain myriad opinions. To expect total conformity to one point of view is delusional. Leaving children unable to understand and appreciate different perspectives is to teach them not only intolerance and parochialism, but frailty when they need mutual understanding and resilience.

Ultimately, preparing students to disagree agreeably is part of preparing them for the realities of life. Civil dialogue strengthens critical thinking, supports democratic citizenship, and helps cultivate the habits of mind that allow individuals, communities, and countries to flourish. Teaching students civil dialogue is a small investment that will pay huge dividends for the students and our entire nation.