No More Consensus

To give Steve a break and involve our younger members, City Club member Daniel Haarburger will lead Monday's discussion. The theme is "No More Consensus - an exploration into what we don't agree upon... yet.”  

There's a fantastic question I was asked several years ago that has stuck with me. The question was, "what important truth do you believe that few people agree with you on". 

At the surface, to find an answer seems simple. One quickly discovers, however, that most answers are not novel but in fact common knowledge. "Education is important", "we need to learn to work together", "progressive taxation is good", etc. Though these are all answers that are widely agreed upon, they don't satisfy the "very few people agree with you" constraint. 

Every now and then one hears a response that is both well thought out and contrary to common thinking. It creates a fascinating intellectual tension: "This idea is opposite to what I believe, but I also feel it might be true". This week's Monday discussion is an exploration into these ideas.

Before Monday, each participant is asked to consider this question and come up with one idea they feel is true but contrary to the consensus. One important truth that you believe, but that few people agree with you on. We will take a few short minutes each to share our answers with the group. Once everyone has contributed, we will select two of these answers to explore more deeply together as a group.

The goal is for everyone at the table to learn from each other. We each have many unique insights, but so often we only hear what's been collectively "agreed upon". This conversation will help us explore what has yet to be deemed the "truth". 

With kind regards,

Daniel H. 

The Prompt: What important truth do you believe that few people agree with you on. 

Sample Answers:

- All humans experience the same amount of suffering, regardless of whether you are a Syrian refugee or an American millionaire. 

- Do not do what you love. Instead, do what creates value. What you love can be a hobby, but need not be what you contribute via work.

- Good ideas are inevitable. People who have brilliant ideas are not special. Rather, it is just a matter of time until society creates the conditions for a brilliant idea to take hold.