I want to know the difference between that and whether in the following sentences.
For many hours we discussed that we had to lower the price; however, we failed to reach a conclusion.
For many hours we discussed whether we had to lower the price; however, we failed to reach a conclusion.
In the context of that example sentence, "that" introduces a fact, and "whether" introduces a binary choice.
The first sentence means it's true that you have to lower the price and the discussion was about that fact, like maybe discussing when or how much to lower the price, or how to communicate this price to customers, etc.
The second sentence means you had a conversation to decide if it was necessary to lower the price or not.
In your example, "that" and "whether" serve different purposes.
"For many hours we discussed that we had to lower the price; however, we failed to reach a conclusion."
In this sentence, "that" is used to indicate a specific proposition or statement that was discussed. In this case, the discussion was focused on the proposition that they had to lower the price.
"For many hours we discussed whether we had to lower the price; however, we failed to reach a conclusion."
In this sentence, "whether" is used to indicate a question or doubt. In this case, the discussion was focused on whether or not they had to lower the price.
