The power of skillful conversation - from the personal to the global level.

This week's conversation is with professor Shane O'Mara, a neuroscientist of the top order who is professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College Dublin. He is also the author of Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversations Shapes Our World. Shane explains the role that conversation and memory has in our ability to envisage a better future.

We talk about lots in this episode including the difference between the narrative self - the 'story of me' made up of memories, beliefs and the like - and the 'aware self', which experiences the present moment directly. Most people identify with the former and not the latter - but is that really wise?

Shane also explains how countries are created by conversations, and are ideas rather than real entities, and he shares some powerful and proven conversational tools to bridge gaps, break down walls and dissolve the propensity some people have to dehumanize 'the other'. We also discuss the Hard Problem of Consciousness.

Shane's new book: Talking Heads: The New Science of How Conversation Shapes Our Worlds 

Shane's newsletter: BrainPizza

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