Campus discussions may undergo a radical change due to the integration of chat platforms and artificial intelligence, as seen in the debate dynamic of "agreeing to disagree."
In a recent discussion on the new chat platform "Dialogues," two high school students from opposite ends of the United States engaged in a civil and open-minded debate about gun control. The platform, part of Schoolhouse.world, is a nonprofit tutoring website designed to build bridges between students with different points of view.
The discussion took place between a teenage girl from Philadelphia, who supports more gun regulation, and another girl from near Chicago, who is warier of gun control and argues for more emphasis on mental health solutions. The conversation, which veered off topic at times, discussing snake-hunting and a plot point from a Spider-Man film, was one example of efforts to foster civility and open-mindedness among students.
The creators of Dialogues hope it will help put an end to cancel culture and lead to more civil and open-minded discussions among students. The girl from Philadelphia explained that she has attended many funerals for people shot and killed in her city, while the girl from Chicago shared her concerns about the potential infringement on Second Amendment rights.
After 45 minutes, the students signed off and rated each other's debate style and civility in an online form. The reviews are compiled into "portfolios" that can be sent to college admissions offices to show how well they handle disagreement.
Dialogues is not the only chat platform aimed at improving student engagement on contentious political issues. Other organizations, such as the United Nations, have developed similar platforms to encourage civility and open-mindedness among students. The creators of these chat platforms hope they will lead to more productive and respectful discussions about important topics.
Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, believes Dialogues is one way society is working to improve the way students engage with different viewpoints. He stated that while dialogues alone will not solve the problem, he hopes they will "chip away" at it.
In conclusion, Dialogues is a promising new platform that allows high school students to discuss hot-topic issues with peers they've never met, who have been screened to ensure some friction. As students continue to engage in these discussions, it is hoped that they will become more open-minded and civil in their approach to contentious political issues.
