How To Win An Argument With Yourself: Stephanie Lepp’s Latest Integration
Oct 14, 2024
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Stephanie Lepp, a video artist and founder of Synthesis Media, joins to discuss her innovative project, Faces of X. This series creatively presents multiple viewpoints on complex topics through a single performer embodying various roles. Lepp elaborates on the challenges of confirmation bias and distinguishes between synthesis and both sidesism. With thought-provoking discussions encompassing gender rights, capitalism, and inclusive dialogue on contentious issues like abortion, she advocates for a future rich in nuanced public discourse.
Stephanie Lepp's new series, Faces of X, employs a Hegelian framework to promote comprehensive debates on complex cultural issues.
The challenge of navigating confirmation bias emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in fostering open-minded dialogue amidst conflicting views.
Synthesis transcends simplistic both-sidesism by integrating diverse perspectives to enhance understanding and facilitate more nuanced public discourse.
Deep dives
The Need for Equal Opportunity Praise
Criticism has become a well-practiced art form across the political spectrum, yet the balance tilts heavily in favor of critique over commendation. This imbalance indicates a cultural reluctance to recognize and appreciate insights from various perspectives, which can foster a richer understanding of complex issues. Incorporating equal opportunity praise allows for the weaving together of diverse insights, enhancing discourse rather than merely perpetuating divisions. Thus, it is essential to move beyond mere criticism to truly engage with and celebrate constructive contributions from all sides.
Introducing Faces of X
Faces of X is a new video series that challenges binary thinking and encourages the exploration of multifaceted perspectives on contentious cultural issues like gender and race. The series employs a Hegelian triad framework—thesis, antithesis, and synthesis—with the same actor portraying all three roles, enabling a comprehensive debate followed by an integrative perspective. This format aims not only to highlight the complexity of the issues but also to promote understanding and empathy among varying viewpoints. Ultimately, the series seeks to cultivate a more nuanced discourse that transcends simplistic dichotomies.
Overcoming Confirmation Bias
Navigating personal biases, especially confirmation bias, poses a significant challenge even for those who strive for objectivity. The conversation highlights the difficulty of recognizing one's own predispositions while engaging with opposing views, often leading to a defensive stance instead of an open-minded dialogue. By acknowledging and addressing these biases, individuals can foster a healthier discourse, allowing for genuine exploration of ideas that conflict with their existing beliefs. This process of introspection is vital for achieving a more balanced understanding of complex societal issues.
Understanding Synthesis Beyond Both-Sidesism
Synthesis offers a more sophisticated approach than the simplistic idea of both-sidesism, which assumes equal validity of opposing arguments. While both sides of a debate may contain valuable insights, synthesis emphasizes the importance of integrating these diverse perspectives to derive a richer understanding. It goes beyond mere compromise, aiming to create a deeper dialogue that respects the complexities inherent in challenging topics. This method not only acknowledges the relevance of various viewpoints but also actively seeks to construct new, more inclusive frameworks that transcend binary classifications.
The Optimism of Future Discourse
There is a growing optimism about the future of public discourse, with an increasing interest in the heterodox space where nuanced conversations can thrive. This optimistic outlook is buoyed by the idea that younger generations are weary of tribalism and seek more complex, thoughtful engagements with important societal issues. As more individuals venture beyond rigid ideological boundaries, there is potential for greater understanding and consensus in addressing divisive topics. The ongoing evolution of discourse encourages hope that constructive dialogue will eventually transform cultural conversations.
Stephanie Lepp is a video artist and producer whose work focuses on bringing together different viewpoints to arrive at a perspective that goes beyond “common ground” and emerges as a true integration, or synthesis. She was on the podcast in July 2022 to talk about a project called Deep Reckonings. In it, she considered the cases of public figures who’d responded to personal controversy in less-than-ideal ways and reimagined responses that would have conveyed genuine learning.
Now she’s back with a new video series, Faces of X, which illustrates an argument using a single performer to act out the three parts of the thesis, antithesis, synthesis schematic. Those performers include Buck Angel, Liv Boeree, Magatte Wade, and herself.
In this conversation, I talk with Stephanie about why it’s so hard to check your confirmation bias (even — and maybe even especially — when you pride yourself on being able to do so), the difference between synthesis and “both sidesism,” and why she’s optimistic about the future of public discourse about complicated issues.
GUEST BIO
Stephanie Lepp is the founder of Synthesis Media, a production studio devoted to integrating perspectives into a bigger picture. In 2022, she debuted Reckonings, a narrative podcast that explores how we change our hearts and minds, and Deep Reckonings, a series of explicitly-marked deepfake videos that imagine morally courageous versions of our public figures. Her new project is Faces of X.
