explain to me why I should care about anyone’s feelings and esteem
Because doing so aligns with a principle of avoiding unnecessary harm, for a start. Also because it facilitates better communication when you are making an effort to avoid creating more animosity.
There is literally nothing I could ever say to you that will cause you tangible harm.
You, who have read so much history, believe that words cannot cause harm? That’s an interesting conclusion.
Ignoring that animosity is a fundamental aspect of this particular conversation
I don’t think existing animosity should be ignored. It’s very important to acknowledge all the conditions when participating in any conversation, if at all possible. Rather, we should work to avoid creating new animosity, partly for the sake of communication and partly to avoid being even partly responsible for the harms that come to others as a result of our words. We likely won’t be successful all the time, because wise speech is hard to do. But, like with everything else, the surest way to fail is to not try at all.
Moreover, I find that the exchange of ideas meets less friction when I try to not antagonize others. That’s the goal of conversation, is it not?
Because doing so aligns with a principle of avoiding unnecessary harm, for a start. Also because it facilitates better communication when you are making an effort to avoid creating more animosity.
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You, who have read so much history, believe that words cannot cause harm? That’s an interesting conclusion.
I don’t think existing animosity should be ignored. It’s very important to acknowledge all the conditions when participating in any conversation, if at all possible. Rather, we should work to avoid creating new animosity, partly for the sake of communication and partly to avoid being even partly responsible for the harms that come to others as a result of our words. We likely won’t be successful all the time, because wise speech is hard to do. But, like with everything else, the surest way to fail is to not try at all.
Moreover, I find that the exchange of ideas meets less friction when I try to not antagonize others. That’s the goal of conversation, is it not?
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