Can you agree to disagree? and Why?

Question

Can you Agree to Disagree or must you ALWAYS be the final answer? If you and a loved one, friend, or even stranger disagree about something, do you have to convince them that YOU are right? Do you require them to agree with you or else? or can you allow them to believe their opinion and agree to keep your own? Why? (this can apply to religious beliefs, political views, relationship differences, raising of children, pretty much any topic)

Answer 1

I can agree to disagree. Differences are the spice of life.

If someone can't see that I am ALWAYS right, well, I don't have time to convince them...  :-)  Just kidding.

Answer 2

The first three answers are excellent!  My congratulations to the maturity, humility, and perception of each individual above.

Two friends and I decided to get together to discuss politics and religion (you know--you aren't supposed to discuss those topics, right?).  One is a traditional Catholic, one is an agnostic, and one (yours truly) is a Southern Baptist.  

The agnostic argues against free will.  The Catholic argues for free will and the redemption by God of man through faith and the sacraments.  The third argues that man is responsible directly to God and that faith alone can lead to redemption.  The sacraments are symbolic.

We genuinely like and respect each other.  The discussions at time are intense; at times we laugh guffaws.  From those discussions I have modified greatly (honed may be the word) my understanding of free will, and I have come to honor the beliefs of my Catholic friend without adopting them as my own.

I learn, I feel stimulated and challenged, and I feel that I have been in the presence of a humanity far larger than just the three of us.  

In short, we meet for the express purpose of agreeing to disagree.  It is educational and it is fun!

Answer 3

It's good to agree to disagree :)

Answer 4

Of course, you can!

We all have our own way of seeing an issue because we all can reason individually.  That being the case, your view may be different from mine and so, we each can decide to retain our own separate way of thinking.  So, we agree to do so and, at the same time, respect one another's right to our separate opinions.

That does not mean that we accept the other view, we simply allow each other to have his/her own view.  There's  no last word in this scenario or that word is acceptance of the other's rights.