Beyond Dispute : Rediscovering the Jewish art of constructive disagreement in divisive times

Fiercely divisive times call for radically different arguments.

In our age of seemingly irreconcilable differences, argument is increasingly seen as a plague to be avoided or a contest to be won. Daniel Taub, an experienced peace negotiator and diplomat, argues that ancient Jewish wisdom offers a third way. Drawing from this tradition, and from his own experience at the heart of some of the world's toughest negotiations, in Beyond Dispute he makes the case for a radically different approach to help us come closer to truth and to each other.

This approach sees argument not as a combat zone but as a joint enterprise, and its disputants not as jealous custodians of competing truths, but collaborative explorers. It seeks to create safe spaces not by outlawing controversial opinions but by welcoming them, and it offers a set of practical tools to rethink our own preconceptions. In fractious times it charts a way to build communities and societies that are resilient enough to face new and challenging ideas without fear.

Weaving ancient insights with contemporary research in conflict resolution, as well as behind-the-scenes personal stories of diplomacy and negotiations, Beyond Dispute is a passionate call to rediscover and harness the vital and surprising power of a good argument.
 

Daniel Taub is a diplomat and international lawyer. He has represented Israel in peace negotiations with its neighbours and as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He lectures widely about conflict resolution in foreign ministries and universities around the world. He is an accredited mediator and runs difficult conversation laboratories bringing together participants from different ideological backgrounds.  

Taub has written drama for Israeli television and theatre and for the London stage. A popular lecturer on biblical texts, he is the author of Parasha Diplomatit, a collection of diplomatic insights on the Bible. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife Zehava. They have six children.