BRING IT ON!
Many of my best friends think that some of my deeply held beliefs about important issues are obviously false or even nonsense. Sometimes, they tell me so to my face. How can we still be friends? Part of the answer is that these friends and I are philosophers, and philosophers learn how to deal with positions on the edge of sanity. In addition, I explain and give arguments for my claims, and they patiently listen and reply with arguments of their own against my — and for their — stances. By exchanging reasons in the form of arguments, we show each other respect and come to understand each other better.
Philosophers are weird, so this kind of civil disagreement still might seem impossible among ordinary folk. However, some
