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Question:

What are strengths and weaknesses of John's argument?

Answer:

John's strengths include his trust in the validity of his own experience and the experience of the people he trusts and respects. He also conveys a strong interest in addressing patient goals and outcomes. Perhaps there is some justification for his belief that researchers could do more to engage in an equal dialogue with practitioners. He identifies a physical barrier to dialogue because researchers in universities are separated from practitioners in the field. He also points to the barrier created by the languages of research and the more practical language of practice. His commitment to solving 'real' problems leads him to question whether taking the time to overcome these barriers would be worth the trouble.

The weaknesses of his position include the potential narrowness of depending only on your personal experience. Personal experience can be limiting as it is composed of blind spots, habits of thought and routine ways of doing things. Similarly, trusting only to those around you might lead to seeking out the views of those you know (even unconsciously) might confirm the views you already have. In this way John risks having a limited range of approaches and ideas to use in practice. Without exposure to new ways of thinking he is unlikely to develop new perspectives and find the flexibility to respond in different ways to different needs.

He sees research as something you have to do to get a qualification and seems unwilling to meet researchers 'half way'.