The assertion that we can learn more from people whose views we disagree with than from those whose views we share is challenged by the counter-argument that, when attempting to understand the world, we are best served by understanding our own viewpoint. On the surface, it would seem obvious that when we attempt to understand another person’s viewpoint, we are seeking to validate our own, and gain a deeper understanding of it. However, on closer inspection, it becomes apparent that this may not be the case

Since we were born, we have been learning. We are as different from one another as children in appearance, language, temperament, and capacity as we are as adults. Babies who are born with cleft palates, who have two heads, or who have eyes that cannot focus cannot communicate like other children, and they certainly cannot reason with adults. But, in time, they learn to. They connect with other people, and they develop communication skills. They become as able as anyone else to read and write, and to do math, and to understand their thoughts and the world around them

But, what if a child is born with an unusual appearance and is unable to communicate with others? What if a child’s mind is overactive and incapable of focusing or processing information in a course of study? What if a child has trouble expressing himself in English or expressing his thoughts in language? What if a child is born with physical disabilities that make it difficult for him to move, or perhaps even to feed himself? What if a child is born with some form of mental disability? These children cannot learn the way other children do, and they certainly cannot learn the way adults do. They may not be able to learn at all, no matter what efforts are made. But, this does not make them any less human, or any less in need of love, understanding, or assistance. If we cannot understand a child’s viewpoint, we cannot truly understand him. We may even end up harming him. For example, we might consider a child with physical disabilities to be less intelligent or capable than his peers. He may, in fact, be more intelligent than his peers, but, due to his disabilities, he lacks the social experience that others his age have acquired. This, in turn, may lead him to believe that he is less intelligent than he actually is. And, if we believe that he is less intelligent, we may be tempted to keep him away from difficult academic or social situations. Alternatively, we may assume that his lack of intelligence is the result of his disabilities, and fail to help him develop that intelligence. We may not, for example, seek to provide a special education program for him, or appropriate assistive devices. In doing so, we harm not only that child, but other children as well, who miss out on the opportunities to learn that he might otherwise have acquired

We cannot understand another person’s viewpoint if we do not first understand our own.