Arguing Principles Instead of Outcomes

Much of the vitriol that passes between those on the left and those on the right would vanish if people started their arguments from principles (what do we believe is true) rather than outcomes (what should we do about it). It turns out that people on both sides of the political spectrum agree on many principles: we have a responsibility to help those less fortunate, we must not harm others, we must not despoil the environment, the powerful must not exploit the weak. Where we disagree is on the outcomes - how best to put those principles into action. Because we often start our conversations at the level of outcome rather than principle, we end up thinking that people who disagree with us are stupid, evil, or both because we miss the important points on which we agree.