Knowledge as conversation

Link: Joho the Blog: Knowledge as conversation.

Knowledge is not the body of beliefs that needs no further discussion. Knowledge is the neverending conversation. And much of that conversation is precisely about what we can disagree about and still share a world.

And it is the conversation about knowledge that brings people together, not just reading about knowledge in books, but talking about it. And not just knowledge, anything can be a spark for conversation without having to be some nugget of info, such as a photo, a Pokemon card, a TV show, a new gadget.

I have a funny feeling that pre-historic people sat around the fire chatting all excited about the latest flint chipping technique or bone tool, just like we do today with all the gadget websites. The specifics might have changed, but the urge to chat and exchange thoughts about something has not.