Dialogue vs. Debate
David Bohm, quantum physicist and philosopher, makes some distinctions
between dialogue and debate that are helpful to illustrate ORG’s
approach:
- Dialogue is collaborative: two or more sides work together toward
common understanding. Debate is oppositional: two sides oppose each
other and attempt to prove each other wrong.
- In dialogue, finding common ground is the goal. In debate, winning
is the goal.
- In dialogue, one listens to the other side in order to understand,
find meaning, and find agreement. In debate, one listens to the
other side in order to find flaws and to counter its arguments.
- Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a participant's point of
view. Debate affirms a participant's own point of view.
- Dialogue reveals assumptions for re-evaluation. Debate defends
assumptions as truth.
- Dialogue causes introspection on one's own position. Debate causes
critique of the other position.
- Dialogue opens the possibility of reaching a better solution than
any of the original solutions. Debate defends one's own positions
as the best solution and excludes other solutions.
- Dialogue creates an open-minded attitude: an openness to being
wrong and an openness to change. Debate creates a closed-minded
attitude, a determination to be right.
- In dialogue, one submits one's best thinking, knowing that other
people's reflections will help improve it rather than destroy it.
In debate, one submits one's best thinking and defends it against
challenge to show that it is right.
- Dialogue calls for temporarily suspending one's beliefs and assumptions.
Debate calls for investing wholeheartedly in one's beliefs.
- In dialogue, one searches for basic agreements. In debate, one
searches for differences.
- Dialogue involves a real concern for the other person and seeks
to not alienate or offend. Debate involves a countering of the other
position without focusing on feelings or relationship and often
belittles or deprecates the other person.
- Dialogue assumes that many people have pieces of the answer and
that together they can put them into a workable solution. Debate
assumes that there is a right answer and that someone has it.
