Communication and peace : celebrating moments of sheer human togetherness

This book provides a robust conceptualization of peace. Hamelink defines peace as conceived of moments of celebrating human togetherness, with deep fractures that polarize society standing in the way of collectively celebrating togetherness and posing a serious existential risk to humanity. ‘Deep dialogue’ is the form of human cooperative communication that is needed to build communities that can overcome polarization. This is the most difficult form of human conversation as it is based upon trust, mutuality, patience and freedom, and requires safe, non-threatening spaces, but this book explains how to overcome the essential obstacles that prevent this dialogue. To curate a ‘deep dialogue’ we must turn to humanity’s unique resource: our ability to communicate pro-socially and cooperatively. Preface 7 Longing for Peace 8 Notes 12 References 12 Contents 14 1 The Concept 17 Peace in International Law 17 Peace in Peace Studies 20 Peace in Religions 21 The Jewish Tradition 21 The Christian Tradition 22 Buddhism and Peace 24 Hinduism and Peace 25 The Bahai Tradition 25 Islam and Peace 26 Religions and Peace: Ambivalence 27 Studies on Communication for Peace 29 Peace Journalism 31 Philosophers and Peace 37 Summing Up 41 Conclusion 46 References 49 2 A Polarized Planet 52 Global Fractures 53 Gender Fractures 55 Urban Fractures1 57 Identity Fractures 60 Religious Fractures 63 Polarization 72 Existential Risk 74 Conclusion 76 References 80 3 Deep Dialogue 82 The Origins 83 On Cooperation 93 On Trust 93 On Mutuality 94 On Patience 94 The Basic Principle: Communicative Freedom 95 Song and Dance 96 Sanctuaries 100 Conclusion 100 References 101 4 A Tall Order 103 Can We Trust Each Other in Our Conversations? 103 Liars 104 Surge in Dishonesty 112 Can We Trust Those Who Govern Us? 115 The Lie in Politics 115 Political Speech 116 Can We Trust the Mediators Between the Reality of the World and Our Own Reality? 122 Journalistic Liars 122 Voice for the Spin Doctors3 124 Selective Perception 126 Selective Word Use and Prejudice 127 Sloppiness 128 Mediacomplicity 128 Media and Reliability 129 On Fake News 134 Daily Communicative Practices 139 Relaxed Playing Fields 141 Conclusion 145 References 146 5 Desperate Optimism 148 Introduction 148 The Art of the Deep Dialogue and All That Jazz 149 Learning the Art of the Deep Dialogue 152 What Would Deep Dialogues Be About? 154 The Deep Dialogue and Its Sanctuaries 154 Memes and Cultural Evolution 157 The Cooperative Species 159 The Promise of Complexity 161 The Small Victories 162 Conclusion 163 References 165 Author Index 167 Subject Index 170 Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii The Concept (Cees J. Hamelink)....Pages 1-35 A Polarized Planet (Cees J. Hamelink)....Pages 37-66 Deep Dialogue (Cees J. Hamelink)....Pages 67-87 A Tall Order (Cees J. Hamelink)....Pages 89-133 Desperate Optimism (Cees J. Hamelink)....Pages 135-153 Back Matter ....Pages 155-161