How to Form a Great Disagreement

According to Mortimer Adler, the founder of the Great Books movement, there are three steps to posing a respectful disagreement in a Great Books conversation. The first step is for one to acknowledge their emotions, reflecting on how the passage or work makes them feel. If this step is neglected, an individuals momentary or habitual emotional state may have a great effect on the way that they interpret the work. Some readers may take this step to the extreme, thinking that great works should be read without emotion. However, if emotion is removed from the act of reading, any possibility of learning or enjoyment is also removed. Readers simply need to acknowledge the emotions that inevitably arise while reading and discussing these works and realize how their feelings, if unchecked, could lead them astray from the truth. Second the reader must address their assumptions about the work or passage. Where might they be making unfounded conclusions? While the reader would be wise to look at the material in many different ways, this could also result in the reader interpreting meaning where the author did not intend. A reader should clearly state such assumptions, to make explicit to their fellow students, the particular way in which they are receiving the author’s message. Lastly, a reader should attempt to look at the work or passage with impartiality. The reader should strive to have as clear a lens as possible with which to view the material. The way to achieve this clear lens is to momentarily forget any preconceptions or views the reader may maintain that helped to form their disagreement. After these steps are completed, the reader should have full confidence that their disagreement is well founded and ready for group analysis.