Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. President at Ohio State University | Wikipedia
Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. President at Ohio State University | Wikipedia
Aaron Yarmel, associate director of the Center for Ethics and Human Values (CEHV) at The Ohio State University, is working to make arguments more productive through civil discourse. Yarmel, who joined the university in 2022 after earning his PhD in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focuses on facilitating dialogue and has developed a program for local public schools.
Yarmel collaborates with Kathryn Joyce, director of CEHV’s Civil Discourse for Citizenship Program, to host workshops that teach civil discourse skills. These workshops are part of CEHV's broader initiative called Listen. Learn. Discuss., which aims to help Ohio State community members navigate difficult conversations safely and respectfully.
The framework used by CEHV is known as the four Cs: Be Curious, Be Charitable, Be Conscientious, Be Constructive. According to Yarmel, these concepts serve as tools for engaging with others even when there are strong disagreements on social and political issues.
“We’re thinking about how to be fair when we’re evaluating [others’] views and how to be resilient and not get defensive when we hear critiques of our own views,” he said. “And then when we’re being constructive, what’s happening is we’re working towards common ground.”
Yarmel emphasizes that civil discourse should not be confused with politeness or withholding strong opinions. Instead, it involves respecting others' perspectives while expressing one's own views openly.
He describes a technique where participants rephrase each other's points until mutual understanding is achieved: “I’ve found that this move of just telling somebody what you think their view is and giving them the opportunity to correct you – it’s almost like a magic trick.”
The Listen. Learn. Discuss. platform consolidates various successful programs under one banner, offering resources such as workshops and training programs for students, faculty, and staff.
“If there’s something that you’re struggling with or there’s something that your unit is struggling with, please reach out," Yarmel said. "[CEHV] can come up with tailored workshops for you."
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