Defining Curious Disagreement

At Viewpoints, we define curious disagreement as the ability to hold one perspective, and still be curious to understand three things:

1. Another perspective.

1. The reasons for it.

2. The person who holds it.

Curious disagreement does not mean:

1. That you need to change your mind, or someone else’s.

2. That you agree with or condone the other perspective.

3. That you leave your views or identity behind when you enter the conversation.

We use the term “curious disagreement” for several reasons:

1. It employs everyday terms, reducing preconceived notions or bias.

2. We want to encourage disagreement, instead of surface-level “understanding.”