Disagree Better Spotlights a Friendship That Crosses the Political Divide

Disagree Better, a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to improving the quality of civil and political discourse in the United States, has released a new public service announcement featuring Princeton University professors Cornel West and Robert George, whose decades-long cross-ideological friendship models the kind of principled, relationship-centered engagement that strengthens democratic culture. The PSA demonstrates that sustained dialogue across big political differences is possible when grounded in mutual respect, intellectual integrity, and a genuine commitment to shared inquiry rather than persuasion. It offers practitioners, educators, and community leaders a concrete, relatable example of what bridge-building looks like outside the formal facilitation context. The work of Disagree Better aligns directly with NCDD's mission to foster dialogue and deliberation, supporting the broader field's effort to rebuild the civic trust and relational infrastructure that healthy democracy requires.

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In a civic landscape defined by deepening polarization and hardening political identities, the initiative known as Disagree Better is making the case that how people engage across difference matters as much as the positions they hold. The organization's latest public service announcement, titled "The Professors," features two prominent Princeton University scholars — philosopher, theologian, and political activist Cornel West and legal scholar Robert George — who have sustained a close personal friendship across decades of genuine ideological disagreement. The PSA invites viewers to reconsider what political disagreement can look like when it is grounded in mutual respect, intellectual honesty, and a shared commitment to pursuing truth rather than winning arguments.

West and George occupy markedly different positions on the political and philosophical spectrum, and neither has softened his convictions to preserve their relationship. What the PSA illuminates instead is a friendship built on the kind of practices that dialogue and deliberation practitioners recognize as foundational: deep listening, integrity in engagement, and a willingness to be challenged by ideas that do not confirm one's existing beliefs. Their example is notable precisely because it is not performative. It reflects a long-standing, tested relationship in which disagreement has functioned as a shared intellectual pursuit rather than a source of division. For communities, organizations, and practitioners working to rebuild trust across political and cultural lines, the West-George friendship offers a grounded and credible illustration of what sustained cross-difference engagement can produce.
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​Disagree Better operates at the intersection of public culture and civic practice, using media and partnership to shift how Americans think about political conflict. By centering real relationships and modeling what good-faith disagreement looks like in practice, the initiative contributes to a broader effort to restore the social conditions that make dialogue possible in the first place. The NCDD network — composed of facilitators, educators, community organizers, and civic leaders — will find in this PSA both a shareable resource and a compelling entry point for conversations about what respectful engagement across difference actually requires. Practitioners looking to bring these themes into their own communities, classrooms, or organizations are encouraged to watch and share "The Professors" PSA and to explore additional resources at https://disagreebetter.us/