The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue

The essay "The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue" by Deborah Tannen discusses our debate centered society we live in, as well as the effects it's wrought on our education system. 

Tannen writes that our society spends too much time trying to prove others wrong instead of accepting that there may be multiple ways to solve a problem. In contrast there are some cases once a point is proven we hold tightly to that point and are too scared to debate it. Tannen wrote about  an Australian resident who debated that ulcers are caused by bacteria, even though it was believed that the stomach was too sterile to support a bacteria. This is an example of when debate can be "constructive".

Tannen suggests that to go beyond dualism we must be able to catch ourselves in thinking there are only two sides of an issue. Instead we need to try to keep in mind all sides of the issue. She also suggests that we ask what's right with an opposing point. Tannen says to avoid trying to fit "ideas into any particular camp" because it "requires you to oversimplify".  This narrow-mindedness also implies that only one solution is applicable to every problem.