Is it ethical to correct those with whom you disagree?

You can challenge, but at some point you're going to have to accept that other people are entitiled to be different, even wrong. There are some arguements or people who I just don't discuss anything with as I know there will be an arguement and I'm going to come away feeling disgruntled even if I've "won", life to short for that sort of aggravation.

It might help us all to understand better if you gave an example of the things you feel you have to correct people about? Aside from religion and politics there are lots of things that people feel strongly about, my friends husband can't cope with clothes pegs being different, lots of people feel disconcerted by different pegs on the same garment, but he feels that there should only be one type of peg in the world. If he see's washing hung up with different pegs he has to go and rehang everything after sorting out all the pegs they own. It drives my friend crazy, but she just accepts that it's part of who he is and lets him get on with it and comes on a dog walk and has a minor rant at us about it.

There are lots of things to get upset about in the world and you can't fight every battle, you have to pick the ones that most important to you. There's also a huge difference between discussing and correcting someone, or making a suggestion. I've had to bite my tongue and sit on my hands loads of times to stop myself from interfearing because someone's doing something "the wrong way".

I think you mean you will play draughts again

Isn't "who's to say you are right and other people are wrong" the entire crux of all debate, though? It applies to absolutely everyone.

Oh absolutely, if it's working for you, just be you.

I think you definitely should continue to follow this healthy advice.

I need to just be me.  Outside of this forum I don't have an issue being me ,as I am around people like me.

Persevering with this forum is my main weakness at the moment.

You seem nice though Becca 

Thanks for the response Mark.

Thankyou for the thoughtful response.  We will play checkers again soon if you like.

I understand that it your opinion that politics and religion inhabit a grey area but this is not an opinion shared by everyone.  Who's to say you are right and other people are wrong?

Brilliant! I am going to use that song too!

I sometimes struggle with this too, particularly on social media when the algorithms purposely show you stuff that is mildly controversial in order to generate more engagement. I have to sing this to myself (to the tune of Little Donkey, Little Donkey lol)

Does it maaaatter

That people oooon the

Internet are wrong?

No it doesn't 

No it doesn't 

That's why I sing this song.

***

I try to just ignore stuff, unless it's with people that I know and with whom it is actually worth having a discussion.

Maybe you could ask yourself why you need to be correct, why the point of view of others is wrong, Im not talking about things that we all know are wrong, like child abuse, but things that inhabit a grey area, like religion, politics, how we pack our shopping or what pegs we use to hang our clothes on the line?

It all sounds very uncomfortable, you must be in an almost constant state of anxiety about ordinary things being done "wrong"?

I'm sure that it isn't 'unethical'.

Ignoring insults - you have to be able to take as good as you give, though. The chances of any one person being 'right' on every subject they feel strongly about is pretty slim. So if someone is unable to take being argued against as much as they argue then it probably isn't healthy.

I used to be very argumentative about religion in my younger days. I 'know' that I am 'right' on these matters, but why argue when people get comfort from it (as long as they are not going around burning heretics)

Politics is fast becoming as pointless as religion these days. It used to be a subject that could be discussed with acquaintances, but these days people have more of a 'football team' mentality to it of 'sides' and no prospect of evidence and data swaying an opinion.

I get you. When I was very young, my mother (who was very into astrology) would tell me about how I was very much a Libra. It was always my way to try and have an open mind and let things be seen from all perspectives. Which sort of made me a natural contrarian, wanting to find the value in the thoughts and opinions of people who don't reflect the general consensus.

I have a very simple modus operandi, myself. I always assume there's something I don't know, and approach every situation like there's something to be learned. The world has been persistently stubborn at acquiescing to my wants of it, so I often find I have to be the flexible one.

Maybe it is your personality to stick hard to what you believe in. But whether or not you can change it? Well that's a different matter entirely. For me, it's more valuable to learn than to know. I don't like to assume I'm right, admittedly because I hate to be wrong.

I often think of Nietzsche's concept of the Ubermensch. The pursuit of one's upgoing, to the pursuit of one's downgoing. If I were to believe that I am living my potential now, then I've drawn the line for which others can exceed me. Personally, I'd rather not make it that easy for them. So I'll continue to pursue potential and growth, to raise the bar for the ones that will do better.