Perhaps the title should be : Debate or Dialogue?
Thank you, Hal and Rick for sharing this topic with us.
1. This is a cultural issue. Go to a cafi in the Greek or Jewish quarter
of any city and you will hear raised voices one on top of another, see
gesticulation and strong arguments. Go to Finland or to a Quaker meeting
and the silence will occasionally be interrupted by well-thought out
statement. Coming from a middle-European Jewish background I enjoy heated
arguments and don't mind commenting on the style as well as the content of
my interlocutors. So I agree with Hal that disputation can help learning.
But so can thoughtful reflection.
Above all, let's remember or learn basic rules of *dialogue*, beginning
with intense listening and absolute respect for the other person. We are
creating our own culture and conventions here. I welcome Rick's guidance
and sometimes wish that he would restrain participants rather more. I say:
- leave him with control of the "talking stick." As we can see, if some
one feels aggrieved by his 'censorship' Rick is sufficiently open to bring
the matter out into the open
2. I believe that about two thousand read this mail list; probably many
more would read and contribute if the volume of messages were not so huge.
We would have a true "Tragedy of the Commons" if even a quarter of them
wanted to participate in the dialogue. So I hope (this is a personal view
- others may disagree) that those who feel the urge to write show
consideration by being brief (although, as a recent thread has shown, long
messages may sometimes be appropriate) and by not straying too far into
general education, philosophical or political argument. I admire and
appreciate Rick's devotion to learning-org. Thank you again.
[Host's Note: John's numbers are right on. There are 1781 e-mail
subscribers at this moment, and I believe another 200 or so read on the
web. ...Rick]
Greetings from Wimbledon John Farago
<jfarago@cix.compulink.co.uk>
--jfarago@cix.compulink.co.uk (John Farago)
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>