Do we learn more from people whose idea we share in common than from those who ideas contradict ours? The speaker claim so, for the reason that disagreement can cause stress and inhibit learning.I concede that undue discord can impede learning. Otherwise, in my view we learn far more from discourse and debate with people whose ideas we oppose than from people whose ideas are in accord with our own.Admittedly, under some circumstances disagreement with others can be counterproductive to learning.For supporting examples, one need look no further than a television set. On today's typical television or radio talk show, disagreement usually manifest itself as meaningless rhetorical bouts and shouting matches, during which opponents vie to have their opinions heard, but have little interest either in finding common ground with or in acknowledging merits of the opponent's viewpoint. Understandably, neither the combatants or nor the viewers learn anything meaningful. In fact, these battles only serve to reinforce the predisposition and biases of all concerned. The end result is that learning is impeded.Disagreement can also inhibit learning when two opponents disagree on fundamental assumptions needed for meaningful discourse and debate.For example, a student of paleontology learns little about the evolution of an animal species under current study by debating with an individual whose religious belief precludes the possibility of evolution to begin with. And an Economics student learns little about laissez-faire system by debating with a socialist whose view is that a centralized power should control all economic activity.
Aside from the foregoing two provisos, however, I fundamentally disagree with the speaker's claim.Assuming common ground between two rational and reasonable opponents willing to debate on intellectual merits, both opponents stand to gain much from that debate. Indeed it is primarily through such debate human knowledge advances, whether at the personal, community or global level.
1. Personal. By listening to parents' rationale for their seemingly oppressive rules and policy, teenager can know how certain behavior carry out certain undesirable consequence, parents can also learn the thoughts of young people by listening to their peer pressure and autonomy to understand the different between effective parenting and control. 2. Community. Debate between environmental activist and whose job depends on continued profitable operation of factory. The activist can stand to learn how environmental protection measures would affect the cost of the factory and how it works, conversely, the latter might stand to learn much about the potential public health price to be paid by ensuring job growth and low unemployment rate. 3. Global. Two nations can reach mutually beneficial agreements by striving to understand the other's legitimate concerns for its national security, political sovereignty, stability of economy and currency, and so forth.