Constructive
Disagreement

From the earliest days of academia, the practice of disagreement governed by curiosity, rigorous inquiry, and mutual respect has been at the heart of scholarly life. In classical Athens, Socrates believed that through dialogue, we could test our opinions, and hold one another, and ourselves, accountable. Socrates did not write any books, nor did he give lectures, rather, he educated by engaging Athenians in discourse.

The modern university inherited this tradition of structured disagreement. In the 18th and 19th centuries, debate societies proliferated on campuses, reflecting the conviction that learning requires active engagement with conflicting viewpoints. Students and faculty cultivated the capacity to present, defend, and critique arguments — and to listen as well as speak. 

The modern research university likewise enshrines peer review and conference exchanges as core mechanisms of knowledge-advancement. Yet such mechanisms only fulfill their promise when scholars feel free to disagree.

More than ever, we need education that trains students in the habits of exchanging ideas, and provides scholars with the means to test their hypothesis. That’s why HxA brings scholars together to host Heterodox Conversations™ and campus events that model constructive scholarly engagement, and why we support projects seeking to enable constructive disagreement in both the classroom and the laboratory.

To strengthen the practice of constructive disagreement, HxA encourages its members to:

• Model scholarly virtues in all professional contexts by encouraging curiosity, humility, evidence-based reasoning, and charitable engagement.
• Make disagreement a core academic skill by incorporating structured disagreement into classrooms, research collaborations, and campus life.
• Explain the value of pluralism in the academia by educating students, faculty, and staff about the role of heterodox thinking in the expansion of human understanding.

Through this work, HxA carries forward a millennia-long spirit of inquiry that has defined the university—where truth emerges not from uniformity, but from the clash and testing of ideas.

HxA is a proud partner in Sway, an AI chat platform that connects students with differing perspectives into one-on-one conversations and facilitates better discussions between them. An AI Guide participates in every chat to de-escalate tense moments, ensure students aren’t talking past each other, and make sure everyone’s voice gets heard. When a student composes a message that contains unconstructive language, the platform suggests a better way for the student to make their point.

In an early pilot study, 120 participants spent 30 minutes on Sway discussing a polarizing topic such as the 2020 election, January 6, Israel-Palestine, or U.S. abortion policy. After using Sway, 61% of participants agreed more strongly with the statement “People who disagree with me about this topic have well-thought out reasons for their view.” That's more than twice as many who moved in the opposite direction (28%).

Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. One wrote of their experience, “Not only did Sway guide our conversation in a thought provoking way, it moved us in a very civil direction.  I was able to see things from my partner’s point of view. I also changed my stance!”

Sway has been used at Columbia University, Harvard University, and Stanford University among others. Consider bringing Sway to your school.