The latter included heated debates – notably one where Sam Harris was up against Deepak Chopra on ‘The Future of God’. There is an option of having cool discussion rather than fiery debate. The key is to have a low level of emotional attachment to your world view and to have a high level of communication skills.
Mindbrains tend towards cognitive consonance but seldom in totally rational ways. There are hard wired and acquired intuitions, and oftentimes negative biases. Training in mindfulness might help catalyse the calming process as might the development of communication skills
It is possible to make a list of verbal and non-verbal communication actions and to observe how many of them are used by which participants in a discussion. For example - some talk loud and often and often wag their finger; some talk soft and seldom and smile most of the time; some don’t talk and sit with their arms crossed.
The activity is called social interaction analysis. When used formally there are two groups – (a) those in white coats with checklists (the researchers) and (b) those engaged in the social interaction (the subjects). ( Note: nowadays subjects can be wired up to generate info about changes in their bodies and in various parts of the mindbrain.)
It seems reasonable to suppose that people who take instruction in communication skills and in mindfulness might be more effective, calm and civilised while working in groups. More like smooth Sam and less like desperate Deepak.
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▶ The Future of God Debate Sam Harris and Michael Shermer vs Deepak Chopra and Jean Houston - YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udezV0wP5Zs
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