There is little middle ground in the dispute between those who believe violent shaking to be a cause of infant mortality and those who deny any link between the two. This brief report considers, from a philosophical perspective, the state of the infant shaking debate and the potential for a future dialectical resolution based on the available evidence. It is argued that for such a resolution to become a reality it will be necessary for child protection professionals to work together to combine a more inclusive, transdisciplinary attitude to research with a more rational, civil approach to dialogue.