Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 274 – April 2023
I organized my first Knowledge Café in London in September 2002 and have regularly hosted them there and in other countries worldwide for over 20 years.
Recently, with the advent of technologies like Zoom and Teams, I have also been running them online.
The Café is a simple yet effective process that brings people together to discuss important topics, from sharing knowledge and building relationships to generating innovative ideas.
No professional facilitation skills are required, as Cafés are hosted rather than facilitated. If you would like to learn more about designing and hosting Knowledge Cafés, please join my workshop on May 16th.
You can find further information and register here, including positive feedback from previous Café workshops I have organized and a small collection of videos showcasing how they are run and the level of engagement they generate.
Contents
- Anyone who values truth should stop worshiping reason
The Righteous Mind - The fear of losing face is a barrier to open conversation in many cultures
Losing and giving face - Montaigne's Quest for Truth
Michel De Montaigne - The word "conversation" has a fascinating history
Etymology of conversation - The Great Unheard Knowledge Café
Understanding Voice and Silence in Organizations - Help Keep My Work Alive
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Anyone who values truth should stop worshiping reason
The Righteous Mind
I am currently reading The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Jonathan is a social psychologist and author known for his research on moral psychology, political psychology, and the psychology of religion. It is an insightful and thought-provoking book in which Jonathan sheds light on why we hold different moral beliefs and how they impact our social and political interactions.
He argues that we are not rational beings, but rather intuitive ones, as evidenced by our immediate formation of opinions on moral issues, which we then struggle to justify through rationalization.
His research confirms the view of David Hume:
Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.
I couldn't agree more with his statement:
Anyone who values truth should stop worshiping reason.
Repeatedly, I hear people advocate teaching children critical thinking to enhance their reasoning abilities. Yet, research suggests that proficiency in critical thinking often leads to easier rationalization of unsupported opinions.
I'm, of course, not arguing against teaching critical thinking, but it alone cannot enhance our reasoning abilities.
I highly recommend the book to anyone, who like me, is interested in understanding the complexities of human morality and its role in shaping our world.
The fear of losing face is a barrier to open conversation in many cultures
Losing and giving face
In many cultures, the concept of "face" carries great importance and is intricately tied to social dynamics and relationships.
Losing face, or causing someone else to lose face, can have significant consequences while giving face can be a powerful tool for building rapport and showing respect.
In a recent post in my blook, I explore the meaning and significance of losing and giving face and how it can impact our interactions with others.
Montaigne's Quest for Truth
Michel De Montaigne
I put forward formless and unresolved notions, as do those who publish doubtful questions to debate in the schools, not to establish the truth but to seek it.
This quote from Montaigne speaks to the value of questioning and exploring ideas without being tied to a predetermined conclusion.
By putting forward "formless and unresolved notions," he suggests that we should be open to the possibility that our ideas and beliefs may not be fully formed or resolved and that we should be willing to engage in debate and discussion to seek out the truth.
Rather than seeking to establish the truth through dogmatic certainty, we should embrace seeking it through exploration and debate.
In short, Montaigne's words remind us that it is the journey of seeking truth that is valuable rather than the destination of finding it.
PS. If you enjoy quotations, sign up for my quote of the day.
The word "conversation" has a fascinating history
Etymology of conversation
In a world where communication is an essential part of our lives, exploring the origins of words is fascinating.
From the Latin "conversare" to the modern-day "conversation," the history of the word "conversation" is a journey through the evolution of language and the cultural shifts that shaped it.
In a recent post in my blook, I delve into the etymology of conversation and explore how the word has been used throughout history.
Interestingly, during the 16th-19th centuries, "conversation" was a euphemism for sexual intercourse. In this sense, conversation could even be a crime.
The Great Unheard Knowledge Café
Understanding Voice and Silence in Organizations
I am delighted to tell you that I have an online Knowledge Café in early May.
Two good colleagues, Mark Cole, and John Higgins, have recently written the book The Great Unheard at Work: Understanding Voice and Silence in Organizations. The book is quite interesting as it explores the importance of understanding silence in our conversations. It shows how we can move from merely listening to truly hearing those around us.
The Café conversation will be based on the book. Mark and John will start with a framing talk about the complexities of amplifying unheard voices and the importance of choosing silence in certain relationships and situations. They will highlight both conscious and unconscious power dynamics that contribute to silence and the challenges of discussing these issues in polite society.
They will also address the autocratic climates that institutions create by demanding that people speak up, which can lead to either compliance or rebellion.
As with all my Cafés, we will then go into breakout rooms to discuss their talk, finally coming back together to share our thoughts and insights in the large group.
If you have not taken part in a Café before, do come along and experience this one - the format is very different from a webinar where you are talked at for a length of time and get to ask a few questions.
You can find more detailed information and register here. I am running it twice, once for those of you living in Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas and a second time for those in the Asia/Pacific region. To date, I have 140 people registered from 27 countries.
Help Keep My Work Alive
For almost 25 years, I’ve been sharing the Gurteen Knowledge Letter each month, and many of you have been reading it for five years or more. My Knowledge Café also reached a milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary in September 2022.
If my work has made a difference to you, I’d be grateful if you could consider supporting it. A small monthly donation or any one-off contribution would greatly help cover some of my website hosting costs.
Thank you to the 50+ patrons who already support me – your generosity means a lot.
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Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly email newsletter designed to inspire thinking around Conversational Leadership and Knowledge Management. You can explore the archive of past issues here.
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David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
