How Conversations Can Shape Reality
A conversation about the science of conversation with neuroscientist and author Shane O’Mara The post How Conversations Can Shape Reality appeared first on Nautilus .
In a conversation with neuroscientist Shane O’Mara, Henry Moliason, also known as patient H.M., shared his experience of losing the ability to form new long-term memories after a brain surgery gone wrong in 1953. Stripped of memories about his daily life, Moliason could not participate in the "magical communion" of conversation, as he had no memory bank to draw from.
O’Mara, author of "Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversation Shapes Our Worlds," emphasizes the critical role of conversation in shaping identity, culture, and even nations. He explains that conversation involves "collaborative memory," a narrative act of co-creation between people. This collaborative memory allows humans to imagine a shared future, a crucial aspect of human culture and nation building.
O’Mara argues that this future-oriented conversation is essential to human development, contrasting it with the dominance hierarchies seen in non-mechanized societies and tribal communities.
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