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People with Whom you Disagree, But Nonetheless Respect
October 10, 2016 Entrepreneurs

Ezra Klein. Go listen for the 70 minute interview he has with Tyler Cowen. Take notice of how careful he is in thinking about all of the questions – I think the point he makes about Bob Dylan is excellent, and should be a marker for how we talk about seemingly far more important issues. Take notice of how he talks about Joe Biden, and how he compares his mental model of the political world to others.

I am not even sure to say I “disagree” with Klein. Long-time readers may be wrinkling their eyebrows at that suggestion given the displeasure I have expressed with some of the thoughts emanating from the Vox.com site. But to unpack the displeasure would take a lot more time. What Klein, and the ideas he is pushing hard on, should be celebrated for and emulated for are his enthusiasm for good governance (and his understanding of the challenges in getting there, where we disagree may be on how we get there), on his enthusiasm for cosmopolitanism, on his understanding of the root causes of difference, on his patience in the presence of challenging questions and issues, on his ability to read and learn about a topic, on his willingness to try to understand those with whom he disagrees, and more.

Seriously, if you listen to the podcast, there aren’t really any policy proposals being discussed, so it would be hard for a clear thinking person to find much to quibble with.

By the way, I am with Klein on sports. Though I love them, and play them, and have always been enthusiastic about them, it is just increasingly impossible to sit down and watch any sporting event from beginning to end. That says as much about me as it does sports.

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