I just noticed that Matthew Schmitz has written a smart, measured piece on the anti-sharia movement in the United States. One of the things I admire about NRO is that it allows a wide range of opinions to be expressed on questions of common concern.

Though I wouldn’t say John Dewey is one of my intellectual inspirations, he did make an astute observation on democracy in a 1916 essay on “Force and Coercion,” which I recently read in a provocative book called The Priority of Democracy:

Democracy is the belief that even when needs and ends or consequences are different from each individual, the habit of amicable cooperation — which may include, as in sport, rivalry and competition — is itself a priceless addition to life. To take as far as possible every conflict which arises — and they are bound to arise — out of the atmosphere and medium of force, of violence as a means of settlement into that of discussion and of intelligence is to treat those who disagree — even profoundly — with us as those from whom we may learn, and in so far, as friends.

I see being part of a larger social or political movement as a school for learning the art of amicable cooperation. None of us can single-handedly achieve our various social and political objectives. We need to find broadly like-minded people and work with them to effect change. There are going to be times when we disagree with many of those who otherwise share our broad worldview on some discrete question. But it is important to remember not to engage in scorched-earth tactics when this does happen. We should aim to persuade, not conquer. And that means we should give our interlocutors the benefit of the doubt. This is of course true in any conversation, but it is particularly important in conversation with those with whom we’re engaged in common endeavors and infinite games.