Ontological Fault Lines and Civilised Disagreement

The provided philosophical essay examines why many significant disagreements persist, arguing that these conflicts are often misdiagnosed as mere differences of opinion rather than deeper, structural mismatches. The author, a philosopher of language, suggests that many entrenched disputes occur across "ontological fault lines", meaning the parties do not share fundamental assumptions about what constitutes reality or truth. The text uses examples, such as the abortion debate and critiques of institutional harm, to illustrate how shared vocabulary can mask this fundamental ontological divergence. Ultimately, the author proposes a shift towards "civilised disagreement," which acknowledges that some conflicts are non-resolvable by design, promoting clarity and charity rather than the futile pursuit of forced consensus.👉 https://philosophics.blog/2025/12/15/why-we-keep-talking-past-each-other/