Communication, Culture, Bohm, and Oakeshott – D2

“Human self-understanding is inseparable from participating in what is called a culture. It is useful to have a word that stands for the whole of what an associated set of human beings have created for themselves, beyond the evanescent satisfaction of their wants. But we must not be misled by it. A culture is not a doctrine or a set of consistent teachings or conclusions about a human life. It is not something we can set before ourselves as the subject of learning, any more than we can set self-understanding before ourselves as something to be learned. It is that which is learned in everything we may learn.”

– Michael Oakeshott, The Voice of Liberal Learning

“Communication… is necessary in all aspects of life. Thus, if people are to cooperate (i.e., literally to “work together”) they have to be able to create something in common, something that takes shape in their mutual discussions and actions, rather than something that is conveyed from one person who acts as an authority to the others, who act as passive instruments of this authority.”

– David Bohm, On Dialogue

After this quotes, I have not much to say. I mean, if you could really understand Oakeshott and Bohm you’ll have a great understanding of communication and culture. (I’m still trying to understand them haha)

During our dialogue regarding this quotes, I understood that communication and culture are deeply linked. Culture is the institutions, meaning the set of rules both tacit and stated. It is what defines our behavior in a certain group, that why each group can create this set of rules in order to create a new culture with their own values. Communication comes is part of creating this set of rules also. In Bohm’s quote, if we are to cooperate or work together, we have to have a culture. A culture is not inherent in us nor it is something due to our history, but a spontaneous order that defines how we behave.