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Issue: Do we learn the most from people whose views we share?

In sum, unless two opponents in a debate are each willing to play on the same field and by the same rules, I concede that disagreement can impede learning. Otherwise, reasoned discourse and debate between people with opposing viewpoints is the very foundation upon which human knowledge advances. Accordingly, on balance the speaker is fundamentally correct.

I have provided a topic with merely its conclusion.

Would you show me through some vivd example or another more readily explanation as to the bold part, so that I could get it better?

What is more, I am wondering what this sentence Do we learn the most from people whose views we share? means.

Thanks in advance

Cheers,

nima

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    -1 for stealing a passage from a book, not providing a reference, and claiming, "I have provided a topic with merely its conclusion." You haven't provided this, you have copied this – from copyrighted material, no less. Next time, cite your source, and have the courtesy to take out the hyphens when you paste the text. (Note, the source here is: GRE Answers to the Real Essay Questions by Mark Alan Stewart, Peterson's, 2009.)
    – J.R. ♦
    Jan 11, 2015 at 9:34
  • "Provided a topic with a mere conclusion". @J.R., I thought he meant that someone "provided" a conclusion for him.
    – M.A.R.
    Jan 11, 2015 at 11:55
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    @MARamezani - I don't want to get sidetracked about the meaning of provided. The issue is that pasting material from books without providing a reference makes it harder to answer the question, and also raises possible copyright issues.
    – J.R. ♦
    Jan 12, 2015 at 14:15

1 Answer 1

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Nima, let's discuss about your second question first:

Do we learn the most from people whose views we share?

"Share" is defined primarily as "to use or have sth with others". Here, it's "have". So "people whose view we share" means that "people whose point of view is the same as us".

The author argues that "if everyone thought I was right, then I wouldn't have learnt many new things from them."

Next,

unless two opponents in a debate are each willing to play on the same field and by the same rules,I concede that disagreement can impede learning.

The author is finally talking some sense. :) He says that I accept the fact that disagreement can slow the process of learning, except when the opponents abide the main rules of debate (e.g.: Being reasonable) and they aren't reluctant about taking each other's sides (so they won't debate as enemies, but as people wanting to reach results).

His last sentence in his conclusion is

Accordingly, on balance the speaker is fundamentally correct.

And this is the key to the whole article you may find challenging to understand. It basically says that "controversy is the key for learning."

It it was unclear, comment me.

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