Recently, I spent time reading up on Communication Theories and found it quite interesting. In the days of Aristotle and Plato, public debating was a common thing and it seemed to have helped people realise what they stood for or against because they could listen to different perspectives on various issues and topics.
When I get together with friends (or even acquaintances), I realise that I usually enjoy conversations on diverse topics and most often than not land up on controversial topics such as say religion or nationalism for example.
When such topics start off and hit a crescendo there is always someone in the group who is worried that this could turn out to be a fight and will try to cut the topic short. There is an uncomfortable silence immediately after this because the conversation hardly ends with logical conclusions. The idea of such conversations for me is to listen to other people's perspective on a topic and add to my understanding of that topic. Is it learning? probably to some extent.
I miss having a platform to do this regularly especially because I enjoy this type of learning since it brings to light people's experiences and what they have taken away from their experiences. Now, I am not sure if others feel the same way or is it just me :)
and the lady hath arrived! For one, this is a great venue for discussions and debates. On the second, most debates and conversations on any subject tend to hit a crescendo somewhere along the way. Not because two people agree or disagree, but rather because their beliefs are being threatened or altered along the course of the discussion. And I guess on some scale, that translates to learning : ) interesting thoughts... keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteKarish
Cool!
ReplyDeleteIts great to be part a discussion where people with different views on the same subject. The ones I surely don't like are the ones where a neutral person dumps a bucket of cold water on the discussion citing the 'neighbours' and 'speaking under the influence of alcohol'.
Discussions, debates, heated or otherwise, can be productive as long as you want to take away something from it.
So - are you starting one up?