102,800
edits
Changes
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
The philosopher [[Plato]] wrote a series of dialogues, mostly between [[Socrates]] and some other person. In all these dialogues there is an explicit or an implicit disagreement, and the purpose of these dialogues is to resolve the disagreement. The typical way is for [[Socrates]] to probe his partner for further [[beliefs]] until a contradiction is reached with the disputed belief or [[hypothesis]] by implication. In this way the [[interlocutor]] is made to see the impossibility of his hypothesis, and then tries some other hypothesis, which is again subject to the same scrutiny. Most of these dialogues break off without a final resolution—as in real life.
The philosopher [[Plato]] wrote a series of dialogues, mostly between [[Socrates]] and some other person. In all these dialogues there is an explicit or an implicit disagreement, and the purpose of these dialogues is to resolve the disagreement. The typical way is for [[Socrates]] to probe his partner for further [[beliefs]] until a contradiction is reached with the disputed belief or [[hypothesis]] by implication. In this way the [[interlocutor]] is made to see the impossibility of his hypothesis, and then tries some other hypothesis, which is again subject to the same scrutiny. Most of these dialogues break off without a final resolution—as in real life.
==Philosophical, theological, and social concept==
[[Martin Buber]]
places dialogue in a central position in his philosophy: he sees dialogue as an effective means of on-going communication rather than as a purposive attempt to reach some conclusion or to express some viewpoint(s).
[[David Bohm]] originated a related form of dialogue where a group of people talk together in order to explore their assumptions of thinking, meaning, communication, and social effects. This group consists of ten to thirty people who meet for a few hours regularly or a few continuous days. Dialoguers agree to leave behind debate tactics that attempt to convince and, instead, talk from their own experience on subjects that are improvised on the spot. People form their own dialogue groups that usually are offered for free of charge. There exists an international online dialogue list server group, facilitated by Don Factor, co-author of a paper called "Dialogue - A Proposal," with David Bohm and Peter Garrett. (http://www.david-bohm.org/mailman/admin/bohm_dialogue)
Russian philosopher and [[semiotician]] Maranhão 1990, p.197 [[Mikhail Bakhtin]]’s theory of "dialogue" emphasized the power of discourse to increase understanding of multiple perspectives and create myriad possibilities. Bakhtin held that relationships and connections exist among all living beings, and that dialogue creates a new understanding of a situation that demands change. In his influential works, Bakhtin provided a [[linguistic]] methodology to define the dialoghe, its nature and meaning: Maranhão 1990, p.51
''Dialogic relations'' have a specific nature: they can be reduced neither to the purely [[logical]] (even if dialectical) nor to the purely linguistic ([[Composition (language)|compositional]]-[[Syntax|syntactic]]) They are possible only between complete [[utterance]]s of various speaking subjects... Where there is no word and no [[language]], there can be no dialogic relations; they cannot exist among objects or logical quantities (concepts, judgments, and so forth). Dialogic relations presuppose a language, but they do not reside within the system of language. They are impossible among elements of a language. Bakhtin 1986, p.117
Celebrated Brazilian educationalist [[Paulo Freire]], who is known for developing popular education, advanced dialogue as a type of classroom pedagogy. Freire held that dialogued communication allowed students and teachers to learn from one another in an environment characterized by respect and equality. A great advocate for oppressed peoples, Freire was concerned with praxis—action that is informed and linked to people’s values. Dialogued pedagogy was not only about deepening understanding; it was also about making positive changes in the world.
Today, dialogue is used in classrooms, community centers, corporations, federal agencies, and other settings to enable people, usually in small groups, to share their perspectives and experiences about difficult issues. It is used to help people resolve long-standing conflicts and to build deeper understanding of contentious issues. Dialogue is not about judging, weighing, or making decisions, but about understanding and learning. Dialogue dispels stereotypes, builds trust, and enables people to be open to perspectives that are very different from their own.
In the past two decades, a rapidly-growing movement for dialogue has been developing. The website of the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation, at [http://www.thataway.org], serves as a hub for dialogue (and deliberation) facilitators, conveners, and trainers and houses thousands of resources on these communication methodologies.
Groups such as [[Worldwide Marriage Encounter]] and [[Retrouvaille Intern]]ational use dialogue as a communication tool for married couples. Both groups teach a dialogue method that helps couples learn more about each other in non-threatening postures, which helps to foster growth in the married relationship.
