Missing direction
That one insight points me to what is important to me: life, humanity, beauty. Luhmann’s theory, as an article by David Seidl is explaining it, attracts me: it takes further the old theory of communication as message encoded, transmitted, decoded, and adds two steps: this message is understood by the other party (without which there would not be communication; but note that what the other party understands is likely to be at variance with what the first intended); and then the first party or a third, responds with his or their understandings. What is lacking I am seeing is a direction or purpose of the whole called conversation: why are we even talking in the first instance? It seems to me there is a purpose, maybe even in chit-chat: to show I am friendly, or to show I am worthy of your attention, or to share a laugh, smile, or tear.
:- Doug.
You can leave a response, or