Dialogue and listening

Abstract

When we think about dialogue, we often implicitly assume that we are thinking about speaking. We are faced, though, with the breakdown of the ‘rules’ of dialogue, resulting in a situation that has more in common with war than with a marketplace of ideas. I raise the question of the other side of dialogue, listening, as having an active role in constructing the ecosystem of thought in which dialogue can happen. Listening is difficult to compel, hard to measure, and easy to mischaracterize, but it nevertheless is crucial in establishing the conditions for productive intellectual exchange.