The purpose of John Aber's essay, "Balancing Consensus and Difference," is to encourage college and university students to view the world with an open mind. In other words, Aber's goal is to educate students on the importance of finding and accepting a "middle ground." ".
John Aber believes that we're constantly being exposed to things designed to convince us of something. He believes these things, mostly words and images, shouldn't be used to convince us of something, but to educate us. He states that human nature may work against us because, as humans, we are inclined to form groups with others with similar likes and interests. These groups usually have common interests and likes. Because of this, the people involved in these groups will likely agree with each other on certain topics, even if they have not been taught view points from other sides. Aber believes that it is hard to disagree with friends, especially close friends, unless there is a betrayal of trust. This is what makes finding middle ground difficult in Aber's eyes. .
Aber also believes that the most defining part of the university is that its priority is to help everyone, whether it be faculty, staff, or students, make the most of their talents and passions. In return, this ends up improving human condition, and furthermore the world we live in. However, in order for human condition and the world to change, Aber believes that we need to be open and willing to change. This goes back to his believe about finding a middle ground. Willingness to change is directly correlated to finding a middle ground. Change will not occur unless those involved are willing to listen to different views than what they consider their own.
Another point that Aber brings up in his essay is the fact that there can be more than one answer to a question, especially in dealing with university life. As a human, one needs to realize that it is fine to be wrong "nobody is right 100% of the time.