Applications of conversational thinking: the role of collective action in merging contexts

Abstract

Conversationalism is based on the idea that the truth of our propositions depends on the context in which they are asserted and describes a process of relational yet critical exchange between epistemic agents. However, experiences in applying the conversational method in a micro intercultural setting show that when individuals who are engaged in this creative struggle take collective action together their contexts may in fact converge, thereby frustrating a continuous collision of theses. As a point of departure for this submission, I take an auto-ethnographic approach and share my reflections on a series of conversational encounters between proponents of two traditions who were faced with the challenge of practically collaborating on an educational policy. I then draw on discourse theory to discuss the role of this joint action in producing contextual overlap and theoretical nearness without thwarting the goal of epistemic sophistication, detailing some theoretical as well as practical implications.