Elena Cuffari, an assistant professor specializing in the enactive approach to language, Hanne De Jaegher, a philosopher known for participatory sense-making, and Ezequiel Di Paolo, a cognitive scientist bridging neuroscience and philosophy, engage in a riveting dialogue. They explore the fluid nature of identity, emphasizing how shared meanings are constructed through participatory sense-making. The trio connects these ideas to real-world applications, discussing ethical interactions, the impact of autism research, and the dynamics of communication within high-stress situations.
The self is viewed as an evolving process that requires individuals to embrace uncertainties for deeper self-awareness and connection.
Participatory sense-making focuses on the relational dynamics in social exchanges, highlighting how meaning is co-created in interactions.
Embodiment plays a crucial role in participatory dynamics, as practices like dance and improvisation enhance relational understanding and mindfulness.
Deep dives
The Nature of Self
The concept of self is presented as a process rather than a definitive entity, emphasizing the importance of maintaining an open quest regarding its nature. The speakers argue that understanding the self requires recognizing it as dynamic and contextual, rather than a static truth. This ongoing exploration of self-awareness can lead to inner peace and connection with others, as it encourages individuals to suspend fixed answers and embrace the uncertainties of existence. By fostering a perspective on the self as part of a larger relational network, greater harmony in interpersonal relationships can be achieved.
Participatory Sense-Making
Participatory sense-making is explored as a framework that emphasizes how individuals co-create meaning through their interactions with one another. This approach shifts the focus from individual cognition to the relational dynamics that emerge during social exchanges, highlighting the significance of the 'in-between' space in understanding self and community. The speakers discuss how this methodology has practical applications across diverse fields, from education to therapy, by permitting deeper engagement in collective experiences. This transformative process allows each participant to influence the others while also reshaping their own perceptions and interactions.
Embodied and Intersubjective Experiences
The discussion encourages exploring the embodied aspects of sense-making, asserting that our physical experiences significantly influence how we relate to others and the world. By engaging in practices that emphasize embodiment, individuals can enhance their understanding of participatory dynamics and strengthen their connections with others. The speakers cite improvisation and dance as relevant methodologies that provide an experiential foundation for practicing these concepts. This focus on embodiment helps cultivate a mindful awareness of one's actions and the resulting relational dynamics.
Ethics in Sense-Making
The interplay between descriptive and normative dimensions within participatory sense-making is emphasized as essential for ethical engagement in interactions. Understanding the emergent processes that occur in social contexts enables individuals to navigate complexities, allowing for greater reflection and awareness of personal agency. The speakers outline how recognizing one's role within these dynamic systems can prompt necessary changes in behavior and attitudes, enhancing interactions and relationships. Such ethical considerations foster a more inclusive approach to understanding social cognition and can help participants identify and break down unhelpful patterns in interactions.
Practical Applications and Challenges
The practical application of participatory sense-making concepts in everyday life is acknowledged as a continual journey fraught with challenges, particularly in transitioning from theoretical understanding to real-world practices. The speakers express that embodying these principles can require significant effort and a willingness to engage vulnerably with others. They outline the importance of collaboration and sensitivity to differences in individual perspectives, urging ongoing dialogue and experimentation. By applying these theories in varied contexts, such as therapy or education, professionals can foster transformative experiences that embrace relational complexity.
This episode features three remarkably engaged and engaging thinkers and collaborators. Dr Elena Cuffari, Dr Hanne De Jaegher, and Dr Ezequiel Di Paolo co-authored the magnum opus, Linguistic Bodies: The Continuity Between Life and Language in 2018, which was a much-needed extension of the enactive approach into the realm of language and intersubjectivity. We heard the three of them in dialogue during the final session of our Core Enaction, Semester 4, where we focused on the ethical core of participatory sense-making, with care or non-indifference at its centre. Here, we revisit some of those themes, but with an eye to how we might practise participatory sense-making, how it has more personally influenced each of these thinkers, and what traction it might have for concrete challenges in the world today. We importantly unpack some of the subtleties of participatory sense-making as it was originally laid out, in both its conceptual and experiential aspects. In the broadest sense, the conversation brought us back to some fundamental questions about the ethical drive behind the activity of theorising, and the ongoingcirculation of knowledge and practice, of the ontological and the ethical.
