From the author: Theses of reflection on the role of discussion in the modern world. In a dispute, a winner is born 1 CHANGING WORLD The world is changing. That's for sure. Whether people change is a moot point. But they always argued. Although they did it in different cases in very different ways. And not always with the goal of giving birth to the truth in a dispute. Be that as it may, about 100 centuries ago, the archaic was replaced by agrarian civilizations, which in turn were replaced by industrial and then information civilization. Over the past couple of decades, a new post-information society has been emerging. Can the human mind keep up with change? Perhaps a “successful person” is precisely one who has time? 2 WORLD OF HUNTERS In the archaic, success is ensured by strength and the ability to use it. Strong-willed qualities are in demand. Education is focused primarily on them. The discussion of people with archaic thinking takes the form of a struggle for power and finding out who is cooler. The dispute is conducted with weapons in hand and ends with the scalping of the loser. 3 THE WORLD OF LAND OWNERS In an agrarian civilization, success goes to those who own the land and power over their own kind. Survival skills, cunning, loyalty to the leader, and the same strength are in demand. Upbringing and education create classes of rulers and their subjects. Discussion for the most part remains a prelude to war, or at least to a quarrel. However, for the first time a format of philosophical dispute arises. The world reveals its facets in the clash of opinions of people who think differently about it. 4 ANTIQUE - THE HOMELAND OF DIALOGUE All the great civilizations of the ancient world were civilizations of debaters. Antiquity created the free citizen. Free people became philosophers and politicians, arguing about everything in the world. The discussion allowed us to get acquainted with the entire spectrum of opinions, understand the weak points of our own position and outline new options. Disputes developed thought, complicated society and created civilization. Civilizations of debaters - people who freely express and challenge any opinions - became the richest and most educated, created great masterpieces of culture and reached the heights of spirituality. Although sometimes we lost wars. 5 EASTERN WISDOM In ancient India, public philosophical debates were an analogue of the ancient Olympiads. We prepared for them in advance. Thousands of people flocked to listen to the debate between the wise men. According to the custom that existed at that time, a philosopher who admitted his defeat became a student of his conqueror. This rule allowed debaters to become students of the coolest teachers. Long before the current tolerance, Eastern kings passed laws according to which no one could be persecuted for their beliefs or their expression in public. This is the code of laws of King Ashoka, who ruled 2300 years ago, that has come down to us, carved in stone. All this created that unique atmosphere in which the ancient eastern wisdom, so in demand today, flourished in all its diversity and depth. 6 MONKS AND KNIGHTS In the Middle Ages, society was strictly divided into classes. Knights find out what is right in tournaments and duels. Monasteries and universities become centers of intellectual debate. Disputes occur between numerous monastic orders and followers of various directions in Christianity. The founder of the Jesuit order, Ignatius Loyola, includes in the training program for his agents the ability to conduct debates on any topic. It turns out that this is the best exercise for developing the mind. So that the masses of the people do not develop too quickly and do not interfere with governing themselves, the opportunity to discuss is severely limited. Free thought is punished. Discussion becomes the privilege of a small ruling class. Knowledge is the measure of power. However, the tradition of free discussion and public debate penetrates from universities and monasteries into secular society. First the nobility, and then the third estate, adopted the style of free discussion of social and political topics in an assembly of equals. Thus, from intellectual debate gradually emerges the tradition of parliamentarism and everything that we now call civil society and democracy. 7WORLD OF FACTORIES AND BANKS In industrial civilization, success is ensured by money and production capacity. Organizational, managerial and technical skills are in demand. Education prepares managers and technical specialists. The discussion is shifting to a society of specialists. A professional dispute, symposium and consultation arises - a dispute between competent people who have common views and ideas about the best ways to solve a specific problem. This enables the rapid creation of new knowledge and accelerated technological progress like never before. The format of political discussion is also deepening and spreading. Parliamentarism and trade unions are strengthening, although often political and economic disputes continue on the barricades with weapons in hand. 8 WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE In the information society, the one who owns information is on horseback. Knowledge rules the world. Education focuses on the ability to create and accumulate knowledge. However, accumulated knowledge is beginning to become outdated more and more quickly. Truth changes within a generation. The war with those with a different point of view either subsides or flares up with medieval cruelty. Professional discussions are fragmented into gatherings of narrow specialists, whose language is not understandable even to their colleagues. As an alternative, the ancient tradition of arguing about the world and man among intellectuals is returning. Discussions on general and social topics are becoming popular due to the development of the media, which provide disputants with their platform. This both involves the broad masses in an active understanding of the world and lowers the intellectual bar of discussion. 9 POST-INFORMATION WORLD In a post-information society, there is an overabundance and availability of any information. Success is ensured by the ability to quickly navigate it. Neither classical education, nor higher school, nor specialized trainings provide the development of such skills. The risk of drowning in the flow of information increases. Knowledge becomes unreliable. The infinity of options is daunting. The ability to select and evaluate large amounts of information becomes a condition for individual success and the survival of society. Only public discussion with all its unpredictability and diversity of opinions can provide such a skill. A significant part of the discussions is transferred to the virtual space. However, the more time a person spends on the Internet, or in front of the TV screen, the more acutely he feels the need for live communication with his interlocutor eye to eye. 10 EXISTENTIAL LONELINESS Today, society is becoming urban and global. On the one hand, this provides a new level of comfort, and on the other, it destroys age-old social ties and structures. People find themselves increasingly lonely. Moreover, despite the growth of knowledge about the world, he increasingly feels lonely, insignificant and lost in the face of the vast and cold Universe. He is no longer protected by his tribe, extended family, village community, or church. He is increasingly left alone with the frightening vast world and the unknown forces of his own soul. This makes life extremely unsettling. In search of protection from anxiety, people are increasingly turning to substitutes for face-to-face communication: virtual reality, gambling and psychotropic drugs. This destroys both himself and society as a whole. Restoring the traditions of public discussion allows us to solve this problem most effectively and safely. The countries of the “golden billion” followed exactly this path. In Scandinavian countries, each person is a member of, on average, seven clubs and social organizations. In Third World countries, only one in seventy participates in something similar. 11 ROLE OF DISCUSSION Discussion today makes it possible to kill three birds with one stone at once. Hare No. 1: Discussion resolves the problem of individual loneliness in a modern metropolis, promotes the development of social connections, improves the quality of life and pleasure from it. Hare #2: Discussion becomes a means of uniting disparate people into an interconnected society. Allows you to see perspective and preventthreats and outline the features of the future. Hare #3: Discussion opens up access to information that was previously inaccessible. Including knowledge about yourself. This quickly develops the individual and society as a whole. However, there are different ways to hunt hares. At least there are three of them... 12 FIRST LEVEL: BARBARIAN DISCUSSION Barbarian discussion is conducted until victory over the opponent. If the enemy does not surrender, he is destroyed, or at least hated. The goal is one’s own triumph and power. The barbaric level corresponds to the early stage of development of the individual and society. The main motive at this stage is a feeling of inferiority and fear of failure, which are compensated by aggression, fanaticism and the desire to impose one’s position on everyone around. 13 SECOND LEVEL: PROFESSIONAL DISCUSSION Professional discussion is conducted before a decision is made. Which is subsequently performed by all participants. An opponent is a colleague or negotiating partner who has his own position, which is important to know and take into account. The goal is to find the optimal solution. The professional level corresponds to the maturity of the individual and society. The main motive here is to achieve a useful result while minimizing costs. People begin to respect other opinions, look for sources of new information and cooperate constructively. 14 THIRD LEVEL: CIVILIZED DISCUSSION Civilized discussion is conducted until the positions of the parties are clarified. An opponent is a friend, an ally in the search for truth, a sparring partner, a source of information and a mirror of one’s own mistakes. The goal is to exchange information, co-create and consider mutually complementary points of view. This is the level of wisdom. The world is perceived as a multidimensional space of inexhaustible possibilities, a source of joy and a creative workshop. All ways of describing and understanding it are important here. The diversity of opinions and concepts reveals the richness of the infinite universe. 15 MYTHS ABOUT DISCUSSION Myth No. 1: Truth is born in a dispute. This is not true. Truth is born in reflection based on experience and diverse information. The discussion facilitates obtaining and verifying the latter in its entirety. Myth #2: Those who express an incorrect point of view must admit they are wrong. This is not in accordance with human nature. We change our position only after long independent reflection, but not in the face of an opponent. But it is the opponent who gives us the richest material for reflection. Myth No. 3: The position must be proven. This is an unjustified restriction of personal freedom. Everyone has the unconditional right to any beliefs and ideas, no matter how crazy and illogical they may seem to others. And you don’t have to make excuses for them. Myth No. 4: Reasoning must be conducted according to the laws of logic. This is not true. It is not logic that convinces, but one’s own experience and feelings. The world and man in general are not logical. They are infinitely larger than the sphere covered by logic. Usually we tend to consider logical only what we like, not noticing the errors in our own reasoning. Discussion helps to notice them. Myth #5: Criticism should be constructive. This is a trick. We don’t like many things, and we have every right to such an assessment. At the same time, we are not required to have a ready-made alternative. Criticism is the beginning of creating alternative positions and approaches. 16 WHAT IS A DISCUSSION CLUB A discussion requires time, a place and an attractive format that allows participants, in an atmosphere of friendly communication and psychological safety, to express their position and freely challenge someone else’s. This is the format of the Discussion Club. This is a club for free intellectual communication. It can become a meeting place for interesting independent individuals who have their own position and a desire to share it with others. The club spontaneously forms a community of active, positively minded people who are able to generate ideas and meaning for themselves and society as a whole. This is the optimal place for the generation and analysis of concepts, projects and meanings in a welcoming environment of diverse intellectual discourse. 17 DISCUSSION CLUB FORMAT Any position has.