Book: Conversation A History of a Declining Art
Telegraph reviews Conversation A History of a Declining Art by Stephen Miller.
What should Americans - and all of us - be conversing about? It seems the subject does not matter so much as the manner. Miller believes that conversation promotes social cohesion through politeness. It requires that we listen and encourage in a spirit of curiosity. "People need to be persuaded that the benefits of politeness exceed the costs," he writes. "But the leading figures of popular culture and high culture admire authenticity and have a therapeutic view of self-expression." In other words, rude is real, and monologue is the form of the moment. There is also a problem with fundamentalism. You cannot have a conversation with those "who think God is on their side".
