Flow: better conversation in a complex world

The Hidden Power of Silence in Conversation

Sheila Das investigates the role of silence, whether the pauses in conversation or of conversation. Why may we want to create them and linger? How do the faux silences that pepper our modern societies, like contactless groceries, affect us? If we are to create more deliberate spaces, like meditation or retreats, that allow for silience, what may emerge in conversation? Maybe greater togetherness. Thinkers mentioned: David Henry Thoreau, Jenny O'Dell, Ian Williams, Michael Pollan, Richard Wagamese, Vanessa Vandergrift, and Sarah McLauchlan. I recommend for meditation... Thupten Jinpa's A Fearless Heart.

Conversations with Old Friends

In our first audio essay, Sheila Das reflects on the unique gains in conversing with old friends and how to keep making it better. Breaking with some of the current trends that push us to acquire social media "friends," find new friends or even AI companions, Sheila shows, through psychological studies and personal experience, a richness that infuses these conversations based on time, knowledge and intimacy. There lies the rub, if it really cannot be matched it can be undervalued. Sheila recommends… Robin Dunbar's book (2021) Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships.

How LLMs Are Changing our Talk, video

Megan Fritts guides us through the changes Large Language Models are making on our conversational skills, expression and content. LLMs (whether ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini) are wildly popular and widely used to lighten our workloads. But what about the effects on our connection with each other? We consider particular desires for more time for conversation (e.g. by reducing women's domestic labour) and more comfort (especially Gen Z). And if LLMs may help us with frictions and overcome isolation, on first dates or in our long term relationships. We then explore concrete changes in the material of conversation -- our speech patterns and memory or "ownership of ideas" -- as well as the potential social consequences, such as equity. Megan offers some cautions as she makes the case that we may want to rethink our usage. We refer to Megan Fritts' publications "A Matter of Words," The Point Magazine (May 2025) and ⁠https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf⁠ [https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf] Megan recommends... Re-Engineering Humanity, by Brett M. Frischmann and Evan Selinger. A comprehensive look at how emerging technology in general is affecting and undermining human agency.  Megan Fritts is professor of philosophy at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, researching emerging technologies and human flourishing, and co-host of the podcast Philosophy on the Fringes.

LLMs Are Hurting Our Talk and Relationships

Megan Fritts guides us through the changes Large Language Models are making on our conversational skills, expression and content -- and not for the better. LLMs (whether ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini) are widely used to outsource our written communication. But what are the effects on conversation? We consider desire for more time for conversation (e.g. by reducing women's domestic labour) and more comfort (especially Gen Z). And if LLMs may help us with frictions on first dates or communication conflict in our long term relationships. We then explore concrete changes in the material of conversation -- our speech patterns and "ownership of ideas" -- as well as the potential social consequences, such as equity. We refer to Megan Fritts' publications "A Matter of Words," The Point Magazine (May 2025) and https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf [https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf] Megan recommends... Re-Engineering Humanity, by Brett M. Frischmann and Evan Selinger. A comprehensive look at how emerging technology in general is affecting and undermining human agency.  Megan Fritts is professor of philosophy at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, researching emerging technologies and human flourishing, and co-host of the podcast Philosophy on the Fringes.

Haïti: dialogues de l’espoir

La conversation pour recréer l'espoir? Charles Clermont, membre fondateur de Kafou Lespwa (Carrefour de l'espoir), partage avec nous pourquoi et comment il a fait naître cette organisation qui a pour mandat de nourrir chez les Haïtiens le dialogue et la confiance pour travailler ensemble à un avenir de paix et de collaboration. Est-ce que c'est possible? A-t-il les pieds sur terre? On s'interroge sur l'idée même d'espoir et sur une approche pour amener la conversation en petits groups jusqu’au niveau national. Aussi Charly parle de la tension entre la rêve et la réalité, comment il voit l'espoir sur le long chemin, et quelles valeurs sont souhaitables pour le créer. Parmi les penseurs mentionnés, on trouve : Vaclac Havel, Beth Jandernoa et Peter Senge, Adam Kahane, Timothy Snyder, Joaquim Machado, et Margerite Yourcenar.  Voir le site: kafoulespwa.org Charly recommande... Change: How to Make Big Things Happen by Damon Centola.