In this installment of A Man Should Know for The Free Press, Elliot Ackerman reflects on how to form a thoughtful opinion in a culture crowded with certainty, bias, and political division.
The essay begins with Ackerman’s son joining a school debate team and learning to argue both sides of the same issue. For Ackerman, the experience offers a lesson increasingly rare in public life: a strong opinion should begin with understanding the opposing view.
Reading Widely
Ackerman argues that no single news source can provide a complete picture. To form a well-informed opinion, readers must seek out different perspectives, recognize bias, and resist the comfort of only consuming views they already share.
Relationships and Reconsideration
The essay also explores how trusted relationships can challenge our thinking more effectively than arguments alone. Ackerman reflects on a group text with two close friends whose political views differ sharply from his own, but whose judgment he values.
Curiosity Before Certainty
At its center, the essay is a defense of curiosity, humility, and conversation. Before deciding we know the answer, Ackerman suggests asking a simple question that opens the door to understanding: “What do you think?”