When to Conciliate and When to Resist 

Introduced by: Moses Klein

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At the 2026 World Humanist Congress, philosopher Ralf Schöppner suggested that humanists have a natural inclination to “balance”, i.e. take a conciliatory approach toward our adversaries, but that in extreme cases, where fundamental principles are challenged, we need to resist.

1. Do you agree with this framing?

2. How do you decide when to conciliate (balance) and when to fight (resist)

3. Can you think of situations when fighting is appropriate but you found ideological allies more inclined to conciliate?

4. Can you think of situations when conciliation is appropriate but you found ideological allies more inclined to fight?

5. One characterization of the dichotomy is: conciliation with opponents, resistance against enemies. How do you distinguish between opponents and enemies?

Please join the Zoom Meeting here: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033