Creating a Culture of Positive Argument

The Wright brothers' achievement in inventing the airplane was owed to their talent for productive disagreement, which was characterized by direct, passionate argumentation. They saw honest argument as a means to clarify the truth and held a strong norm of direct disagreement, finding it emotionally stress-free and enjoyable. They viewed contradiction as a sign of respect and were genuinely interested in listening to the other's perspective. Furthermore, they trusted each other to care about more than just winning an argument, always putting every disagreement in the service of their higher goal of inventing an airplane.