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.
