One of the main reasons people give up on civility in discussion is that the nuance of their perspective becomes impractical to communicate. There is either not enough time - or there is not the right place - to express whatever disparities remain.
Two Paths of Expression
Expression, even in formal debates, can often come upon a point of opportunity cost. This point is reached when a person must prioritize short-term over long term expression. We take this for granted when we are talking, texting, and posting. Yet, there are many considerations in these decisions:- Can my nuance be expressed in the limits of whatever medium I am using?
- If I take too long on this idea, will its respective value be misunderstood?
- Am I capable of articulating this idea?
- Even if I can express this idea, do I care to take the time right now?
- Will other people give my long-form expression the attention to understand it?
- Will other people mock my long-form expression?
- Is my expression simply out of place for this form of communication?
- Does this require too much investment from others for the norms of this platform?
- How many times will I have to express this same laborious thing again? It takes too long, for too many people.
- How many times have I already expressed this? Its application, value intensity, or placement was still misunderstood.
The Dream:
'If only I had more time, or the right place, I could intricately insert the right ideas in the right places. I could go back in conversations and express more nuance of my perspective. Others could do the same. People could see full images of priorities and values. Then we could gain more understanding. We could feel all ideas got a chance. We could all discover greater truths.'A Solution
What would a software tool that fulfills this dream of expression be like?Without knowing precise features, what attributes can we say its features would have to culminate to?
- A discussion could start out in a normal linear fashion, but gradually be augmented to include more and more nuance.
- Tools of the application would allow dissection and implied structure to be applied to human language.
- Tools of the application are built specifically for guiding an expressive process.
- A central backbone of discussion would continue to frame the topic.
- Spoken discussions could also be modeled as backbones for elaboration.
- The application allows asynchronous editing of a perspective
- The application allows for single or multiple editors
- Alternate variants of structure could be preserved in saved views
- Individuals can copy and freeze ideal argument structures to their own reference.
- Histories of progress could be saved
- Changes in position could be accepted and corrected
- Changes in position could allow reworkings and restructurings
- Logical inconsistencies could be detected as detail emerges
- Value judgements can be attributed
- Comparison operators can be attributed
- Argument types can be attributed
- Scale, scope, commonality, and categories can be outlined visually.
