Disagreeing Better

At a time when societal divisions seem insurmountable, Disagreeing Better at CSB+SJU seeks to proactively help our community learn the skills needed to foster an environment where dialogue flourishes beyond the boundaries of our differences.

Kick-off week, Sept. 16-19

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Disagreeing Better at CSB+SJU is a dialogue-rich, relationship-building partnership between our entire CSB and SJU community and Minnesota’s Reduce the Rancor initiative, an offspring of the national non-partisan, non-profit Braver Angels dedicated to political depolarization. Developed by caring citizens after the 2016 election, Braver Angels offers workshops, debates and events where participants across the political spectrum come together utilizing tools of the Braver Angels way. Our Disagreeing Better initiative will embrace the approach, including expectations of:

Stating our views freely and fully, without fear.
Treating people who disagree with us with honesty, dignity, and respect.
Welcoming opportunities to engage those with whom we disagree.
Believing all of us have blind spots and none of us are not worth talking to.
Seeking to disagree accurately, avoiding exaggeration and stereotypes.
Looking for common ground where it exists and, if possible, find ways to work together.
Believing that, in disagreements, both sides share and learn.
Learning to practice intense empathy and empathic listening in all encounters.
Forging greater understanding of our neighbors, colleagues, peers, family members.

This isn’t about feeling good; it’s about making a measurable difference in the lives and relationships of everyday Americans.

It’s also very Benedictine.

Co-Sponsors

CAMPUS-WIDE / ALUM BOOK READ

All members of the CSB and SJU community, including all alumnae/i, are invited to read Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (2024) by John Inazu. Book discussions will take place throughout the year. We also encourage areas/teams/residence halls/departments/units/clubs/alumnae/i chapters to organize book discussions on Inazu’s book.

Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect (2024) by John Inazu — *Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect* (2024) by John Inazu

John Inazu, Ph.D., is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, and will offer the keynote event for Disagreeing Better, coordinated with the McCarthy Lecture. Inazu’s Sept 19, 2024 keynote event will be recorded and available for use within our CSB and SJU community. You are invited to use the recording to facilitate book discussions.

About Learning To Disagree (2024) by John Inazu: This book seeks to help people disagree better. We are not very good at disagreement: We view our adversaries not only as wrong but increasingly as evil, we resist notions of forgiveness, and we distrust institutions that try to mediate our disagreements. The book’s narrative flow follows the course of an academic year. Each chapter addresses a question for each month:

August: How Do We Learn Empathy?
September: Can We Know What’s Fair?
October: What Happens When We Can’t Compromise?
November: Can We Have Difficult Conversations?
December: Can We See People Instead of Problems?
January: Can We Trust Faith?
February: Can Anything Be Neutral?
March: Where is the Line Between Wrong and Evil?
April: Is Forgiveness Possible?
May: Can We Be Friends?

The extracurricular parts of my life also affect how I come to see the issues in Learning to Disagree. As I like to remind my students, professors are people, too. Inevitably, my own experiences and idiosyncrasies make this book what it is. Yes, I teach students and write books. I also navigate complicated family dynamics, freak out in awkward social settings, and slip on blueberries. Learning to Disagree won’t tell you what to believe, but it will change the way you engage with disagreement.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGMENT & LEARNING

Disagreeing Better at CSB+SJU will offer multiple opportunities for learning, dialogue and engagement. There are multiple self-paced learning opportunities, which we encourage you do in solidarity with others in your area or department, on your team, or in your class, including: take a Braver Angels e-course; listen to the MPR Talking Sense podcast episodes; read and discuss “Learning to Disagree”; and/or attend a virtual workshop offered through the national Braver Angels portal. Essentially, there is something for everyone. And choosing where you opt in/out is part of the magic.

Learn more