Gurteen Knowledge Letter August 2024 Issue 290

Gurteen Knowledge Letter
Issue 290 – August 2024

I have just been watching a fascinating conversation on YouTube between Nate Hagens, Nora Bateson, Rex Weyler, Vanessa Andreotti, and Daniel Schmachtenberger about the ecology of communication. 

I’ve spent many years engaging in, hosting, contemplating, and writing about conversations, but I’ve never viewed conversation through the lens of ecology. It’s an intriguing perspective.

You may not want to watch the full video, but watch this section where Rex Weyler discusses monoculture and ecosystem change.

After basic needs are met, conversations among friends are the best technology ever invented by humans because you don't know what's coming next.

There's unexpected reward. There's emergence. There's new context. There's discovery. There's curiosity. There's love. There's sharing.

True human conversation has to be the most valuable thing that we have, assuming that we have a stable biosphere, food, and shelter.

Credit: Nate Hagens

1. Mirror Neurons and Conversation
   The role of mirror neurons in human evolution and cultural transmission
2. Reid Hoffman's Digital Twin
   The potential of personal AI avatars
3. The Hidden Complexity of Everyday Conversations
   Conversations are complex responsive processes
4. Critical Thinking's Role in Nurturing Curiosity
   A conversation between Peter Boghossian and Will Reusch
5. The Paradox of Tolerance
   Should we be intolerant of those who threaten it to preserve a tolerant society?
6. The Myth of Thamus and Theuth in the Age of AI
   Does GenAI harm our critical thinking skills?
7. Help Keep My Work Alive
8. Unsubscribe
9. Gurteen Knowledge Letter

Lately, I've been studying mirror neurons (brain cells that activate when we perform an action or see others do the same). One of the most exciting things about them is their possible role in the "Cultural Big Bang," or "Great Leap Forward," in human evolution around 70,000 years ago. This period marked a dramatic increase in creativity and technological innovation as we began to culturally pass down knowledge from generation to generation in more sophisticated ways. (This is distinct from the Chinese Great Leap Forward, which took place from 1958 to 1962 and resulted in a famine that caused the deaths of millions of people.)

I'm also exploring how mirror neurons and interbrain synchrony impact our conversations. This journey into neuroscience raises several intriguing questions, including: "How can knowledge of mirror neurons help us engage in better conversations?" and "Do mirror neurons function the same way during a Zoom call as they do in face-to-face interactions?"

The better we understand ourselves, our evolution, and how our brains function, the better equipped we will be to think more clearly and work together more effectively in our increasingly complex world.

Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, has created an impressive digital twin of himself called "REID AI." This digital twin uses advanced AI technologies to have realistic conversations, drawing from Hoffman's extensive work, including his books, speeches, and podcasts. The creation involves training on Hoffman's content, generating a lifelike 3D avatar, and replicating his voice.

Hoffman used this digital twin to interview himself, showcasing the transformative potential of AI avatars in digital communication.

Imagine the potential of this technology. Like Reid, I have over 20 years of blog posts, videos of talks, newsletters, and more that I could use to create a digital twin. I would love to achieve this in the next few years.

Watch Reid's conversation with his digital twin here.

We engage in numerous conversations daily, yet we seldom consider their complexity.

In a recent blook post, I explore how conversations function as complex, responsive processes, drawing on the work of Ralph Stacey and Patricia Shaw.

This post proposes an alternative definition of conversation, emphasizing its dynamic, unpredictable nature and role in co-creating meaning and driving change.

Acknowledging this complexity can help us better appreciate the importance of embracing uncertainty and fostering environments where open, adaptive conversations can thrive.

Read the full post Conversations Are Complex Responsive Processes to uncover the intricacies of human interaction.

In a captivating YouTube conversation, Peter Boghossian and Will Reusch discuss the importance of critical thinking for nurturing curiosity, challenging assumptions, and stimulating intellectual humility.

They also discuss various educational techniques, including Socratic questioning and practical experiments, highlighting how these methods encourage openness to new ideas and rational discourse.

Reusch, an educator and mentor, emphasizes his mission to promote viewpoint diversity and critical thinking within high school education. Their discussion underlines the crucial role these skills play in personal growth and societal advancement.

Watch the video Putting Critical Thinking Back Into Education to watch the conversation.

Tolerance promotes peace among diverse groups, but it must have boundaries. Philosopher Karl Popper's "Paradox of Tolerance" argues that we must be intolerant of those threatening it to preserve a tolerant society, but is this true?

I explore this issue further in my blook: Tolerance Is A Social Contract, Not a Moral Absolute.

GenAI's potential negative impact on critical thinking deserves our attention. A recent post in my blook looks at the Myth of Thamus and Theuth, a cautionary tale from Plato's Phaedrus, to draw parallels with today's advancements in AI.

Like Socrates, who questioned the invention of writing for its effect on memory and true wisdom, we need to examine the role of generative AI in our lives. While GenAI can create impressive content, it also threatens our critical thinking and originality.

See the full article: Artificial Intelligence and the Quest for Knowledge.

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

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