Bringing goodwill to the conversation

Education is distinct from learning. Organized education is a form of indoctrination and certification. Sometimes it leads to learning, but not always.

You can win at education by figuring out what’s on the test (or what the boss wants) and parroting it back. In fact, that’s the easiest way to do so.

Learning is an argument, a conversation designed to change minds. Learning happens long after we leave organized schooling, and it requires emotional enrollment. We’re more likely to learn when we bring a desire to be transformed and to leave our previous assumptions behind.

Amplified by social media, there’s a rising tide of arguments that purport to be learning that actually lead nowhere. That’s because the participants are seeking to score points and gain attention, not to enroll in a mutual process of transformation and learning.

What does goodwill look like?

Be prepared (or better yet, eager) to change your mind.

All claims should be verifiable.

All assertions should be falsifiable.

Do the reading.

Show your work.

Reveal your actual agenda.

Understand the systems and mechanics at work, don’t simply quote them.

Assume goodwill on the part of others.

Don’t judge an argument by how comfortable its conclusion feels.

Question your own expertise. “I don’t know” is a complete sentence.

Engage with the strongest version of opposing views.

Embrace that “not yet” is different from “never.”

Celebrate your errors and welcome correction gracefully.

Ask helpful questions that support an alternative view before deciding.

Agree on the rules in advance and then honor them.

Focus on understanding before seeking to be understood.

Identify the ideas you are attached to and temporarily set them aside.

Change your mind. That’s why you’re here.

Seth Godin • Bringing Goodwill to the Conversation