26 episodes
Flow Sheila Das
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- Society & Culture
Flow is about the power and problems of conversation in our modern world. Communication is an essential part of our human nature and fulfills a basic human need. It also has been the driving force of human society, allowing us to flourish. Yet talking to each other is not always easy and seems increasingly fraught with challenges. In frank echanges with guests from a wide spectrum of experience, I discuss how we can have a deeper understanding of our personal and societal convos so we all can get to better connections, that is to flow, in our world.
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The Dangers of Fun
Mockery, conspiracy theories and scapegoating are just too much fun. This is the Charles Blattberg encore where the political philosopher and I go deeper into the threats for meaningful, political, `patriotic` conversation by untangling the dangers of fun. We discuss the derailment play causes here, and tease out other aesthetic forms, such as idealizing beauty, spectacle, and fantasy. Then we examine how enjoyment and fear interact in motivating these fun modes of dialogue. Finally, we put each others` feet to the fire as we take up the aesthetic lurking in each other’s titles: both his book title, Shall We Dance?, and the name of this podcast, Flow.
Check out Charles` article on how antisemitism is fun: “Antisemitism and the Aesthetic” in Philosophy Forum (2021).
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Conversation vs. Negotiation for the Common Good
Charles Blattberg, political philosopher at Université de Montréal, explains why conversation should be our first choice in resolving conflict, followed by negotiation then pleading, all of which differ in practice and goals. We discuss the win-win scenario of reconciliation as stemming from Aristotelian ideas about the common good and well-being, while exploring how the fragility of conversation often thwarts this outcome.
Charles` invigorating thinking challenges commonly held views, indeed my own (!), as we argue here about human rights and mastering conversational skills.
We draw on his publications:
"Taking Politics Seriously" in Philosophy (2019)
"The Ironic Trajedy of Human Rights" in Patriotic Elaborations (2009)
"Opponents and Adversaries in Plato`s Phaedo" in History of Philosophy Quarterly (2005)
Shall We Dance?: A Patriotic Politics for Canada (2003)
Charles recommends... The Argument Culture: Stopping America`s War of Words (1999) and You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation (1990) both by Deborah Tannen, and I and Thou (1923) by Martin Buber.
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Getting to Connection
Kim Samuel, author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, helps us explore how our conversation, as well as the structures and systems we live in, create connection.
Beyond the multifaceted ways belonging may be built in our lives, Kim proposes why we all have a right to it. On the flipside, we look at who is feeling socially isolated today and why... spoliler alert: it`s not your fault! Finally, just a heads up, we also consider toilets and singing giraffes.
Kim Samuel is the founder of the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, she is a fellow at the Poverty and Human Development Initiative at Oxford, and she has worked on the ground with initiatives from South Africa and Mozambique, to the Special Olympics and the Indigenous on Vancouver Island.
Kim is inspired by… Parzival, the well-known thirteenth century Grail Quest, which highlights the key of compassion; philosopher and poet Wendell Berry’s What are People for? which questions value in a world of mechanization; and the Friendship Bench installation where grandmother figures nurture the younger generation on designated benches — initiated by Dixon Chibanda in Zimbabwe and now adopted worldwide.
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A Thousand Coffees
Bob Ramsay, known to be "one of the most connected men in Toronto" explores how he has gotten to know, learn, and help people over coffee. His relationships, his own work in his speaking series, and travel experiences all got better from having a cuppa.
A outstandingly regular practice has led to key takeways: from how follow-up after a coffee to move your career along, talking across the intergenerational divide, to resisting judgment, and the delights of lingering.
He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2015 and the Bernier Medal from the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 2017. Find out more about Bob`s activities at @ramsayinc.com
Works mentioned: Love or Die Trying by Bob Ramsay (2021), Success and Luck: Good Fortune and the Myth of Meritocracy by Robert H. Frank (2016).
Bob would like to sit down and have a coffee with... Minouche Shafik and Phillipe Sands.
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Dialogue in the Diaspora during the Israel-Gaza War
Raja Khouri, who’s Palestinian, and Jeff Wilkinson, who’s Jewish, share their perspectives on the possibility of dialogue between their communities in the Canadian context - even during the present conflict. Both long-time advocates for intercommunity exchange, and co-authors of ´The Wall Between: what Jews and Palestinians don`t want to know about each other’, they show us how to bridge the divide. We explore the regular barriers to such dialogue, such as hisorical identities and binary (us/them) language. But when so many are feeling like their heart is shattered by the ongoing violence, and when hate crime is swelling in North America, what does the present moment ask of us? Raja and Jeff live this every day, and their research and their example keep everyone`s humanity as a guiding light through silence, emotions and mistakes. It may give us a chance. (This interview was recorded Oct. 27, 2023).
To order the book directly you may go to: thewallbetween.org
Raja recommends… Edward Said`s writings and James Zogby’s podcast interviews.
Jeff recommends… Viktor Frankl`s Man`s Search for Meaning and Peter Beinart`s podcast, “Occupied Thoughts.”
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The Silencing of Asexuals
Julie Sondra Decker shows how asexuals are silenced when denied as a “real” orientation, not divergent enough by queer groups, or overlooked by some sex-positive advocates. We look at how silencing then reverberates in TV shows, institutions and personal violence. But how has the scene been changing? And what can we do about it through our conversations? Julie is a leader and advocate in the asexual or Ace community and author of The Invisible Orientation.
Sources we mention include: the Trevor Project, Asexual and Visibility Education Network, Asexual Outreach in Toronto, and Julie`s YouTube channel, "Letters to an Asexual."
Julie further recommends...
- "Ace Dad Advice" (Cody Daigle-Orians) on TikTok, their book, I Am Ace, because of their positive and mature perspective;
-Yasmin Benoit, an asexual model at the forefront of visibility efforts, who responds to the intersection of asexuality and people of color and sex positivity, and being sexy while not desiring sex;
-TAAAP (The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project, https://taaap.org/) and their book, Ace and Aro Journeys;
-the TV show “Heartstopper” for its Ace discovery journey.
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