Philosophy on messick and social conflict: Resolving the resolution process

In a recent paper, Messick described a framework for understanding the often intractable nature of social conflict, and suggested a method (the Messick Method) of resolving such conflict. My aim in this paper is to examine Messick’s approach from a philosophical perspective. More specifically, the question to be addressed is whether a philosophical method of resolution might, in some significant way, be superior to the Messick Method. The conclusion is that a collaboration of both methods, in the spirit of Messick’s suggestion, can contribute to resolving social conflict.