Constructivism
Each person's reality is built from their experience, language and culture; two people in the same meeting are in different meetings. Useful for understanding others, dangerous when it slides into 'there are no facts'.
An everyday example
A 'fair price' meaning cost-plus to the engineer and market-rate to the founder, with neither realising they are using different concepts.
What it can cost you
Assuming your construction is the shared one; or using constructivism to excuse ignoring evidence.
Warning signs
- We agree on the facts and still disagree.
- I assumed my meaning was the meaning.
One thing to do
Ask how the other side defines the key terms before arguing about them; keep the distinction between how things are seen and how they are.
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