Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 277 – July 2023
I regularly update my blook on Conversational Leadership, making changes almost daily. If you haven’t checked it recently and would like to see the latest updates, including new posts and resources like books, videos, papers, and quotations, please visit the Recent Updates page. You can also view a list of the twenty most popular posts within the last 24 hours on the Popular Posts page.
Contents
- Orality
The foundation of human storytelling - chatGPT as a valuable thinking partner
ChatGPT and critical thinking - Breaking Free from Multipolar Traps
A call for collective action - The best quotations provoke thought and reflection
They need not be true or the author necessarily respected - How we construct our unfounded beliefs
And false narratives - Help Keep My Work Alive
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Orality
The foundation of human storytelling
Recently, Hank Kune introduced me to the fascinating concept of orality, which has had a profound impact on human communication. It made me question why I hadn't discovered it earlier, given its significant influence on our cultural heritage.
Orality is the practice of transmitting knowledge, culture, and traditions through spoken language and oral traditions rather than written texts.
As I delved deeper into the subject, I was reminded that for a period possibly as long as 100,000 years before writing was developed around 5,000 years ago, our memory, history, knowledge, and cultural practices were predominantly transmitted orally. We didn't have written records. This reliance on oral communication fostered rich traditions of storytelling, poetry, songs, and aphorisms. Naturally, other non-verbal forms of expression, such as visual arts, dance, gestures, and rituals, along with observation and collaboration, also played crucial roles in the transmission of culture.
This revelation shed light on why we, as humans, possess such a profound ability to tell and listen to stories. It dawned on me that tens of thousands of years of evolution have shaped us to excel in this art of storytelling, as it was an essential aspect of our ancestors' lives for an extensive period of time.
chatGPT as a valuable thinking partner
ChatGPT and critical thinking
Many people criticize ChatGPT for its potential to harm students’ critical thinking abilities. However, I have a different opinion and believe that it can be a powerful tool to enhance thinking. I plan to write more about this in the future, but for now, in this post ChatGPT: Your critical thinking partner, I have used the response generated by ChatGPT as a temporary placeholder until I have time time to revise it.
And there are others who view chatGPT as a valuable "thinking partner".
Breaking Free from Multipolar Traps
A call for collective action
As we navigate an increasingly complex world fraught with myriad challenges, we are often confronted with the phenomenon of the 'multipolar trap.' This term encapsulates situations where individual or national self-interests clash with the collective good, often resulting in undesirable outcomes.
The multipolar trap is a term used to describe a situation where self-interest compels multiple parties to act against their collective interest, leading to detrimental outcomes or even destruction.
This recent post in my blook on multipolar traps explores the challenges and intricacies of these traps, highlighting the need for enhanced collaboration, long-term thinking, and shared objectives across sectors and countries to overcome them.
From climate change to economic disparities and geopolitical tensions, many contemporary issues can be traced back to the fundamental dynamics of multipolar traps. Understanding their origins and impacts is crucial in overcoming these challenges and fostering a more equitable and sustainable world.
The best quotations provoke thought and reflection
They need not be true or the author necessarily respected
Over 700 people receive my daily Conversational Leadership quote of the day, and nearly 3,000 subscribe to my old Gurteen.com quote of the day. Both services are free and I encourage you to register if you are interested.
I frequently receive feedback from people who either dislike or disagree with a specific quote or hold negative opinions about the author. While I may agree or disagree with them at times, it is important to recognize the main objective of a quotation.
A quotation doesn't have to be true to hold value; it can be provocative, even blatantly false, and still possess significance, particularly when considered in the context of the author or the era.
The primary value of a quotation lies in its ability to stimulate thought.
How we construct our unfounded beliefs
And false narratives
I sometimes have conversations with people who don't know much about a topic I've studied in depth. However, they still hold strong opinions about it and have a clear narrative to support their viewpoint. We are all susceptible to this phenomenon, but what is its underlying mechanism?
We often encounter fragments of information related to various topics in our daily lives and naturally tend to make sense of this information by constructing a basic narrative. This process involves piecing together the available bits of information to form a coherent story.
However, it's essential to recognize that cognitive biases and the selective nature of our perception influence this narrative-building process. When we encounter new information that aligns with our existing beliefs or confirms our preconceived notions, we are more likely to embrace and incorporate it into our narrative. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias.
Conversely, when we encounter information that challenges or contradicts our beliefs, we are inclined to filter it out or downplay its significance. This filtering process is often unconscious and can lead to the reinforcement of our existing ideas. It can further strengthen our confidence in the narrative we have constructed.
It's worth noting that this tendency to incorporate confirming bits of information selectively is not necessarily a deliberate act. It is a cognitive bias that affects everyone to some degree. Recognizing and acknowledging this bias is crucial for critical thinking and maintaining an open mind.
It is important to actively seek out diverse perspectives and consider dissenting views to foster a more balanced and accurate understanding of a topic. Exposing ourselves to different opinions and information can challenge our existing narratives and enhance our understanding of complex issues.
Engaging in constructive dialogue with others, conducting thorough research, and remaining open to revising our beliefs based on new evidence counteracts the potential pitfalls of narrative reinforcement and confirmation bias.
By actively seeking a comprehensive and nuanced understanding, we more accurately perceive the world around us and can make more informed decisions.
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
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David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom
