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Common ground essays analyze opposing arguments to identify potential areas of agreement based on shared concerns and values as well as overlapping interests and priorities. Taking an impartial view of an ongoing debate, writers strive not only to understand why people disagree but also to find points on which they may agree. Whether written for a college course, for the community, or for the workplace, common ground essays avoid the trap of thinking in terms of winners and losers. Instead, they try to bridge differences by forging constructive answers to challenging issues.

IN COLLEGE COURSES

For a course in scientific research ethics, a biology major writes a paper on the debate over stem cell research. She explains that groups with seemingly irreconcilable differences have agreed to a compromise drafted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) limiting research to stem cells from embryos that would have been destroyed because they are no longer needed for in vitro fertilization. The student points out that there are still serious disagreements: for example, some scientists argue that banning techniques like therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer is a major impediment to research, and the National Right to Life Committee opposes the new guidelines as “part of an incremental strategy to desensitize the public.” Nevertheless, she concludes, the fact that many people support the guidelines represents a path toward an eventual resolution of the issue.

IN THE COMMUNITY

The chair of the School Uniform Committee of a middle school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) writes a blog post reporting on a recent meeting about whether to adopt school uniforms. She begins by summarizing the inconsistent findings of published research. Then she explains that although disagreement continues on the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms, there was agreement that reducing distinctions of social class and forestalling gang violence are worthy goals. She reports that a compromise—substituting ordinary casual clothes for expensive formal uniforms while also banning gang colors—was proposed and appeared to win support from people on different sides of the issue.

IN THE WORKPLACE

Population growth and haphazard development threaten a watershed that supplies local communities and supports endangered species. Longtime residents, developers, and county planning officials agree to hire a consulting firm to write a report that analyzes the positions of the stakeholders and outlines a plan for development. The consulting firm analyzes the competing needs and recommends changes to the developer’s original proposal, calling for higher-density development that would be situated away from the endangered watershed, cost less to build, and be easier to support with transportation and utilities.

In this chapter, we ask you to analyze the points of disagreement and potential agreement in opposing arguments on a controversial issue. From reading and examining the selections in the Guide to Reading that follows, you will learn how writers present an issue and the opposing positions with fairness and accuracy, how they analyze the opposing arguments, and how they organize their analyses clearly and logically. The Guide to Writing later in the chapter will show you ways to write your own impartial analysis of opposing positions.