How to Disagree
By Paul Graham
/ paulgraham.com
The web is turning writing into a conversation. Twenty years ago,
writers wrote and readers read. The web lets readers respond, and
increasingly they do—in comment threads, on forums, and in their own
blog posts.
Many who respond to something disagree with it. That's to be expected.
Agreeing tends to motivate people less than disagreeing. And when you
agree there's less to say. You could expand on something the author
said, but he has probably already explored the most interesting
implications. When you disagree you're entering territory he may not
have explored.
The result is there's a lot more disagreeing going on, especially
measured by the word. That doesn't mean people are getting angrier. The
structural change in the way we communicate is enough to account for it.
But though it's not anger that's driving the increase in disagreement,
there's a danger that the increase in disagreement will make people
angrier. Particularly online, where it's easy to say things you'd never
say face to face.
