Is not dialogue the vocation of a university in a polarized world?
Drawing from eclectic guest speakers and diverse campus voices, Gonzaga is committed to hosting events and providing opportunities to help teach and foster civil discourse. Our Ignatian values – such as mutual respect, genuine listening and honest reflection – guide our approach to healthy dialogue as we seek greater understanding across controversial topics.
What is civil discourse?
What separates civil discourse from other forms of conversation is intent. People participate in civil discourse with the sincere desire to learn from one another. Built on mutual respect, civil discourse allows us to exchange ideas and opinions, achieve greater understanding, find common ground and ultimately establish a path forward.
Why is civil discourse important?
Over the past several years, the nation has seen the capacity for authentic discussion and civil discourse between opposing political parties and individuals deteriorate. The political divide has become a gaping crevasse rather than a figurative line in the sand. Back-biting and name-calling are the norm, making it difficult if not impossible to engage in meaningful conversation with someone who has a different perspective than our own.
In light of these challenges, there is a critical need to rebuild the competencies essential to civil discourse. Research. Negotiation. Oration. The ability to listen to all sides of an argument, irrespective of one's personal opinion. And the ability to disagree without being disagreeable. These are the skills we must cultivate for people to come together, have productive discussions and begin to solve challenging problems.
How can our Jesuit tradition and Ignatian values help facilitate civil discourse?
For those new to words like “Ignatian” and “Jesuit,” St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus – or Jesuits for short – as an order within Catholic Church over 450 years ago. The teachings and practices set forth by St. Ignatius continue to inform the work of Jesuits around the world, including Jesuit universities like Gonzaga.
One key tenet of a Jesuit education is a commitment to teaching students how to think, not what to think. This commitment can be challenging in our current age of heated rhetoric in the public sphere, particularly involving social media. For centuries, Jesuit schools have used debate as a tool in the pursuit of truth, not simply to position one as right and the other as wrong, but to take a position, to argue it, to consider multiple perspectives in order that different approaches might enrich one another, so that individuals and communities could grow in understanding and wisdom.
Gonzaga will draw on this rich tradition as we host events and provide opportunities for students and community members to engage in civil discourse.