The Necessity of Viewpoint Diversity

I have come to see viewpoint diversity, not so much as something nice to strive for, but rather as one of the most basic necessities required to make sense of the world. 

I think we all know intuitively we should be seeking out as many different perspectives as possible, yet in practice it is often uncomfortable and time consuming, so we tend to make our lives easier by sticking to our “trusted sources”. We tell ourselves we don’t engage with the other voices because they are disingenuous, but more accurately and honestly, it’s because we disagree with those voices. 

At this point we have mountains of literature supporting the idea viewpoint diversity is absolutely necessary to critical thinking. It challenges assumptions, reduces personal biases, promotes a healthy dialogue based around understanding, and helps avoid falling into the dreaded echo chamber. At the end of the day, it greatly increases the odds we land closer to the truth, which should be our ultimate goal. It’s a fundamental step to take when trying to determine the facts of a situation. 

It could be helpful to look at another place in our culture where determining the truth is paramount. 

Our justice system. 

Imagine a court room where the judge determines the truth by having the plaintiff spend two weeks presenting their case. Once the plaintiff concludes, the judge then asks for a dozen of the plaintiff’s most trusted friends to present the defence’s case to the judge. 

In what world would you prefer this scenario to hearing the defence present their case in their own words? We could just as easily look at the peer review process scientists use, or how a professional arbitrator would approach a complicated situation. 

As a general rule, I consider it a red flag if a person or group is encouraging you to limit the information you take in, as this is almost certainly an effort to control a narrative rather then a genuine effort to protect you from harm. 

Ultimately, taking in competing perspectives is one of the best ways to course correct over time. If you’re off by a few degrees that may be fine to get you across the bay, but if you’re sailing across an ocean, you’ll probably land in a whole other country than intended. It does not matter how noble your intentions are, or how intelligent you may be, if you are only engaging with a portion of the available data you cannot help but come to poor conclusions.