How do you create a shared basis of understanding when the other person’s view is so extreme and hate-ridden that “I agree” becomes “I enable?” How would one create a shared basis of understanding with a Trump supporter who believes the Earth is flat, was made by an invisible magical creature 6,000 years ago when humans played with dinosaurs, and fervently believes that tearing children from the arms of their parents and putting them into cages is “smart” and “stable genius?”

“I agree” is a trite formulation suitable only for marginal cases of disagreement. It fails absolutely in circumstances of greater importance than whether one should have tea or coffee with one’s pastry in the morning.