Transcript

Some days it feels like the only thing we can agree on is that we can't agree on anything. Public Discourse is broken. And we feel that everywhere panelists on TV are screaming at each other, we go online to find community and connection. And we end up leaving feeling angry and alienated. In everyday life, probably because everyone else is yelling, we are so scared to get into an argument, the we're willing not to engage at all. Contempt has replaced conversation.

My mission in life is to help us disagree productively, to find ways to bring truth to light to bring new ideas to life. I think I hope that there is a model for structured disagreement that's kinda mutually respectful, and assumes a genuine desire to persuade and be persuaded. And to uncover it. Let me take you back a little bit. So, when I was 10 years old, I loved arguing this tantalizing possibility that you could convince someone of your point of view, just with the power of your words.