Listen to Aristotle

Last week we had an interesting and spirited debate on everything from politics to global warming and the environment. Our class is very diverse and we have people that represent all ends of the spectrum. Some of us are hardcore conservatives while others are far left liberals. The different ideologies in our class lead to many spirited debates that can be very entertaining even comical at points. However, when the debates get too out of hand and people get upset when someone disagrees with their point of view, it takes away from the discussion. Last class we had a staged debate over whether or not a new cement plant should be installed along the Hudson. The debate was good and the participants were well informed, but I think both sides were guilty of fabricating some of the facts. I felt each side either over or under exaggerated their points in order to convince the appeals board that their opinion was the right one. People arguing against the plant denied that cement is actually more environmentally friendly than wood. While proponents of the plant denied that there would be negative visual effects, if this 2.8 sq. mile plant were to be built alongside the 2.3 sq. mile city of Hudson. This kind of behavior is seen in politics all the time. Some people will argue to the death to defend whatever their political party believes in, even if deep down they do not really believe it. These kinds of actions are extremely frustrating to me. If everyone in this world were just upfront and honest there would be no need to smudge the facts and a lot more would be accomplished. I think we would learn more from one another in our class if we let people finish their thoughts before condemning them. I know this post is a little bit of a rant but what I’m trying to say is that people need to be willing to compromise if things are going to get done. We should all strive to be wise in the eyes of Aristotle who said, “It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”