Do we learn most from the people whose views we share?
We usually like or follow people whose views we share or with whom we can relate our thinking on certain topics. But in terms of generating knowledge or learning new things, does the view of following a person who shares common ground with us help? Or can we actually learn the most from people who have contradicted views? Though, I concede that disagreement and discord can lead to the impediment to learning, reasoned debate over a topic can enhance knowledge and advance humanity.
Admittedly, intense debate or discord over a topic in certain circumstances can be counterproductive and inhibit learning. Take, the political talk shows on television, as examples. In the talk shows, representatives of competing parties vie with each other to manifest their superiority over one another, but they have little interest to hear the views of the opposition. Usually these debates result in nothing but portraying rhetorical bouts and shouting matching. The end results in an impediment to learning.
Disagreement can also inhibit learning when there is a fundamental difference in basic assumptions needed for meaningful debate. For instance, a student of Banking might not get any benefit from a debate with a person whose religious view precludes the existing banking system. Similarly, a liberalist can hardly enhance his/her knowledge of the free market from a debate with a communist, who believes in a centrally planned economy.
Aside from these, I maintain that reasonable debate over contending matters is not a hindrance to learning rather it emphasizes and advances knowledge. Therefore, I firmly believe that disagreement with other enhance our knowledge and advance humanity at the personal, community and global level.
Firstly, at a personal level, apparently oppressive behaviour of parents might acknowledge the children about the unwanted consequences of situations. For example, a child may want to play video games for hours at a time and preventing it by his/her parents might hurt him/her. But, this will make the child acknowledge the bad impacts of long time gaming. Conversely, by listening to the children, parents might know that autonomy and good parenting are discrete things. Secondly, at a community level, a debate between an environmentalist and an industrialist may convince the former about the importance of industry and how the lives of a large number of people depend on it. Similarly, the latter will come to know about the price we need to pay for the degradation of the environment and atmosphere. Finally, at a global level, two nations with opposing views over politics and economy can lead to a mutually beneficial agreement by striving to understand other’s rationale, legitimate concerns of sovereignty, national security, the value of currency etc.
To sum up, when there is a lack of common ground, mutual respect and fundamental belief, I concede that differing views can inhibit learning. Otherwise, discourse and disagreement lead to a better understanding of a matter.
- The chart below shows the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women of different employment status 78
- The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing During the past year Quiot Manufacturing had 30 percent more on the job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant where the work shifts are one hour shorter than our 50
- In our time specialists of all kinds are highly overrated We need more generalists people who can provide broad perspectives 50
- A unique curriculum for students 62
- Learning is primarily a matter of personal discipline students cannot be motivated by school or college alone 75
Comments
Essay evaluations by e-grader
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 6, column 640, Rule ID: LARGE_NUMBER_OF[1]
Message: Specify a number, remove phrase, or simply use 'many' or 'numerous'
Suggestion: many; numerous
...rtance of industry and how the lives of a large number of people depend on it. Similarly, the lat...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, apparently, but, conversely, finally, first, firstly, if, may, second, secondly, similarly, so, therefore, for example, for instance, to sum up
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 5.0 19.5258426966 26% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 18.0 12.4196629213 145% => OK
Conjunction : 23.0 14.8657303371 155% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 11.3162921348 115% => OK
Pronoun: 31.0 33.0505617978 94% => OK
Preposition: 71.0 58.6224719101 121% => OK
Nominalization: 19.0 12.9106741573 147% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2564.0 2235.4752809 115% => OK
No of words: 479.0 442.535393258 108% => OK
Chars per words: 5.35281837161 5.05705443957 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.67825486995 4.55969084622 103% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.05520073104 2.79657885939 109% => OK
Unique words: 263.0 215.323595506 122% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.549060542797 0.4932671777 111% => OK
syllable_count: 810.0 704.065955056 115% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59117977528 107% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 6.24550561798 96% => OK
Article: 8.0 4.99550561798 160% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 3.10617977528 64% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 1.77640449438 169% => OK
Preposition: 7.0 4.38483146067 160% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 20.2370786517 114% => OK
Sentence length: 20.0 23.0359550562 87% => OK
Sentence length SD: 47.308623528 60.3974514979 78% => OK
Chars per sentence: 111.47826087 118.986275619 94% => OK
Words per sentence: 20.8260869565 23.4991977007 89% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.91304347826 5.21951772744 132% => OK
Paragraphs: 6.0 4.97078651685 121% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 7.80617977528 13% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 10.2758426966 88% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 11.0 5.13820224719 214% => Less negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.83258426966 62% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.229487277858 0.243740707755 94% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0641823547756 0.0831039109588 77% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.121521720274 0.0758088955206 160% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.113070985406 0.150359130593 75% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.141036277482 0.0667264976115 211% => More connections among paragraphs wanted.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.2 14.1392134831 100% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 42.72 48.8420337079 87% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.92365168539 111% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.3 12.1743820225 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.75 12.1639044944 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 9.47 8.38706741573 113% => OK
difficult_words: 147.0 100.480337079 146% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.5 11.8971910112 97% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.0 11.2143820225 89% => OK
text_standard: 14.0 11.7820224719 119% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 83.33 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 5.0 Out of 6
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 6, column 640, Rule ID: LARGE_NUMBER_OF[1]
Message: Specify a number, remove phrase, or simply use 'many' or 'numerous'
Suggestion: many; numerous
...rtance of industry and how the lives of a large number of people depend on it. Similarly, the lat...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, apparently, but, conversely, finally, first, firstly, if, may, second, secondly, similarly, so, therefore, for example, for instance, to sum up
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 5.0 19.5258426966 26% => More to be verbs wanted.
Auxiliary verbs: 18.0 12.4196629213 145% => OK
Conjunction : 23.0 14.8657303371 155% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 11.3162921348 115% => OK
Pronoun: 31.0 33.0505617978 94% => OK
Preposition: 71.0 58.6224719101 121% => OK
Nominalization: 19.0 12.9106741573 147% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2564.0 2235.4752809 115% => OK
No of words: 479.0 442.535393258 108% => OK
Chars per words: 5.35281837161 5.05705443957 106% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.67825486995 4.55969084622 103% => OK
Word Length SD: 3.05520073104 2.79657885939 109% => OK
Unique words: 263.0 215.323595506 122% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.549060542797 0.4932671777 111% => OK
syllable_count: 810.0 704.065955056 115% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.7 1.59117977528 107% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 6.0 6.24550561798 96% => OK
Article: 8.0 4.99550561798 160% => OK
Subordination: 2.0 3.10617977528 64% => OK
Conjunction: 3.0 1.77640449438 169% => OK
Preposition: 7.0 4.38483146067 160% => OK
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 23.0 20.2370786517 114% => OK
Sentence length: 20.0 23.0359550562 87% => OK
Sentence length SD: 47.308623528 60.3974514979 78% => OK
Chars per sentence: 111.47826087 118.986275619 94% => OK
Words per sentence: 20.8260869565 23.4991977007 89% => OK
Discourse Markers: 6.91304347826 5.21951772744 132% => OK
Paragraphs: 6.0 4.97078651685 121% => OK
Language errors: 1.0 7.80617977528 13% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 9.0 10.2758426966 88% => OK
Sentences with negative sentiment : 11.0 5.13820224719 214% => Less negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 3.0 4.83258426966 62% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.229487277858 0.243740707755 94% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0641823547756 0.0831039109588 77% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.121521720274 0.0758088955206 160% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.113070985406 0.150359130593 75% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.141036277482 0.0667264976115 211% => More connections among paragraphs wanted.
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 14.2 14.1392134831 100% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 42.72 48.8420337079 87% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.92365168539 111% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 12.3 12.1743820225 101% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 13.75 12.1639044944 113% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 9.47 8.38706741573 113% => OK
difficult_words: 147.0 100.480337079 146% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 11.5 11.8971910112 97% => OK
gunning_fog: 10.0 11.2143820225 89% => OK
text_standard: 14.0 11.7820224719 119% => OK
What are above readability scores?
---------------------
Rates: 83.33 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 5.0 Out of 6
---------------------
Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.