Scott Alexander proposes a hierarchy of types of disagreements, from low-level meta-debate to high-level philosophical differences, and discusses how to engage in more productive arguments.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander proposes a hierarchy of types of disagreements, expanding on Paul Graham's earlier work. He categorizes disagreements from meta-debate and social shaming at the bottom, through gotchas, single facts, and single studies, up to good-faith surveys of evidence and high-level generators of disagreement at the top. The post explains each level, discusses how to recognize and handle them, and suggests that engaging in higher-level disagreements can lead to mutual respect and potentially shift deeply held beliefs over time. Scott emphasizes the rarity of high-level disagreements in public discourse and the importance of understanding this hierarchy for more productive debates.
Shorter summary