One day it occurred to me how little I truly know about different political points of view, left-right and everywhere in between. I reflected on the fact that I am lucky enough to know people who profess to belong to one side or the other, or who like me consider themselves moderate. Furthermore, I thought of some of the passionate, well-reasoned, and insightful debates some of these same acquaintances and friends have engaged in with me, or with one another via social media. While monitoring these debates has not necessarily caused me to alter or change my own views on a given topic, it has given me some insight into why people hold to the beliefs they do and why they vigorously defend them.

The Gradient is a place for discourse between these same individuals. Its members espouse viewpoints from across the political spectrum. Some are firm liberals, others solid conservatives. Still others lean more to one side than the other, but prefer to be called moderate so that they can freely borrow from the views of whichever side fits their biases on a particular issue. Regardless, these individuals share many common factors — they are professionals (many currently hold, or have held government/military jobs), they are successful in their life’s pursuits, they are intelligent, they are Americans, and they believe in America and what it stands for.

Topics of discussion will vary greatly, and may encompass political, religious, informational, military, economic, and foreign policies, strategies, decisions, and influences. Though all participants are American, there is no restriction to solely discussing contemporary American themes. Events and systems from around the world and throughout history provide ample fodder for discussion. Sources of information may be as varied as the topics, however it is preferred those that could generally be considered fringe or extreme be avoided, the same as logical fallacies, poor spelling, and grammatical errors are to be avoided.

All participants have agreed to communicate in this forum. It is one where they can advocate for their political views, but have those same views challenged, perhaps vehemently. This is not to change one’s ideas — if that happens it is as matter of course. Instead this is to provide the opportunity for an author and any respondents to truly examine the topic at hand through respectful, professional analysis and discourse. The group of participants is small and all participants are also editors. This is so as not to pollute the process — so that ideas and opinions can be taken pure, and boldly posted and defended by an author or respondent without becoming stifled.

The end result is that all participants and readers continue to learn and grow in their beliefs. All participants, and hopefully America will be better for it.

“ Civility is not not saying negative or harsh things. It is not the absence of critical analysis. It is the manner in which we are sharing this territorial freedom of political discussion. If our discourse is yelled and screamed and interrupted and patronized, that’s uncivil.”— Richard Dreyfuss

The author is an officer in the U.S. Army, and a private citizen with all the rights, privileges, and restrictions thereof. The opinions expressed are his alone, and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.