# Transcript: How to find ways to connect with our loved ones in a post-truth era? ## Description Although the world has changed dramatically over at least the last 5,000 years, the human species remains essentially the same.However, we have one advantage. Our minds are incredibly flexible, and thanks to our ability to learn, we can adapt to changes in our environment. While it used to be mainly about acquiring knowledge and skills, recent years have emphasized learning new areas—sorting information, evaluating it, communication, and collaboration. But to grow in these areas, we first need to clear our minds. Who is Martin Poliačik Martin Poliačik is one of the pioneers of academic debate in Slovakia. He has been dedicated to critical thinking, argumentation theory, and rhetoric since 1996. He served as the executive director of the Slovak Debate Association, taught at a Montessori school, and was an active Slovak and European politician for 10 years. His argumentation courses are based on his many years of experience. At the Academy of Critical Thinking, which he co-founded, he now primarily focuses on consulting with individual clients. He currently serves as deputy director of the Kyiv branch of the organization GLOBSEC. ## Transcript **[00:00:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:00:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:01:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:01:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:02:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:02:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:03:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:03:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:04:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:04:08]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:04:16]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:04:24]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:04:54]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:02]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:10]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:18]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:26]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:34]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:42]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:50]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:05:58]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:06]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:14]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:22]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:38]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:46]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:06:54]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:02]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:10]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:18]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:26]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:34]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:07:42]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:12]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:18]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:24]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:36]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:42]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:48]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:08:54]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:00]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:06]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:12]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:18]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:24]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:30]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:36]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:42]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:09:48]** Subtitles created by JohnyX http://johnyxcz.blogspot.com **[00:10:00]** As the gentleman would say, you know, kids, when you grow up, **[00:10:06]** the world will look roughly like this, **[00:10:09]** he would quite accurately describe the reality 20 years from now, **[00:10:14]** up until the start of the First World War, when things began to change dramatically. **[00:10:18]** And maybe not even on those heads. **[00:10:20]** Maybe it was more or less the same, I just flew over it in some airplane. **[00:10:26]** Back then, even the education system that worked, **[00:10:31]** which we still know from Maria Theresa's time, **[00:10:33]** was explicitly based on knowledge transfer. **[00:10:36]** And schools were almost the exclusive holders of information, **[00:10:40]** meaning they were the institutions that held all the world's wisdom, **[00:10:44]** not just schools, it could be monasteries, Freemason lodges, well, you name it, **[00:10:49]** but to learn something, you had to go there. **[00:10:53]** Because the information was there. **[00:10:57]** The sad view is different when you look at the picture. **[00:11:00]** If you picture many schools, they still look like that today. **[00:11:03]** People still think that in schools we are supposed to learn something, **[00:11:06]** something related to information. **[00:11:09]** Much has not changed in some places on Planet Earth. **[00:11:13]** Anyway, this was an education system based solely on the idea **[00:11:18]** that if you want to be better than the people around you, **[00:11:22]** you have to get somewhere and learn something to know more. **[00:11:26]** Let's move to the year 1980. **[00:11:30]** The engineer at the bottom of the photo is my father, **[00:11:33]** the master’s degree holder at the top of the photo is me. **[00:11:36]** And if I asked my father in 1980, **[00:11:40]** listen dad, what will it look like when I grow up, **[00:11:43]** with high probability, and if my father tried very hard **[00:11:47]** to answer me, he would get stuck somewhere. **[00:11:50]** Take 1980, 1989 brought the revolution, **[00:11:53]** in 1993 we finally separated from the unfortunate Czech part of our republic, **[00:11:59]** and so bright tomorrows in Central Europe could **[00:12:04]** begin for the Slovak nation. I'm joking, I'm a proud Czechoslovak. **[00:12:09]** With a Czech wife. **[00:12:12]** Anyway, already in education, in the world, and here, **[00:12:16]** it became clear that knowledge alone would no longer be enough **[00:12:19]** for those brilliant future tomorrows, **[00:12:22]** that we must focus on skills. **[00:12:25]** That means we have to know how to apply knowledge **[00:12:28]** to specific things we will then engage in. **[00:12:31]** Maybe you remember, if you were born around the 80s, **[00:12:34]** 75, 80, 85, that back then they told us to focus on one thing, **[00:12:40]** and if you do it really well, it will bring you joy your whole life. **[00:12:44]** Hey, what nonsense that was. **[00:12:47]** Anyway, even today there are people, **[00:12:50]** that we are actually the generation that started, **[00:12:53]** some people started programming in machine code. **[00:12:56]** There are still people alive who know how to program in zeros and ones today. **[00:13:00]** And there won't be many like that growing up today. **[00:13:05]** Education focused on skills was, **[00:13:09]** yes, we have some knowledge, but we must apply it **[00:13:12]** in specific situations and maybe you will improve the lathe, **[00:13:16]** you will stand behind, but if you work with that lathe, **[00:13:19]** it will basically support you in some way your whole life. **[00:13:23]** Now, when we get to 2012, **[00:13:26]** the bigger head is mine, the smaller one is our Jakub, **[00:13:32]** who is already as tall as his mom. **[00:13:36]** And if Jakub asked me in 2012, **[00:13:39]** whenever he listened to me, dad, **[00:13:41]** what will the world look like when I grow up, **[00:13:44]** I would have to say, not even a deer knows, boy. **[00:13:49]** And we really have no idea what kind of world our children will grow up in. **[00:13:55]** We don't know what kind of world we ourselves are growing up in. **[00:13:59]** Basically, the future is so incredibly open and dynamic, **[00:14:04]** that anyone who today acts, for example in educational institutions, **[00:14:08]** like they are preparing children for a future they know something about, is necessarily lying. **[00:14:13]** Because we know almost nothing about the future of children in schools today. **[00:14:18]** Only that we know almost nothing about it. **[00:14:21]** And therefore, good educational systems, **[00:14:24]** which concern all of us must be future-oriented **[00:14:27]** and must be so-called adaptability based. **[00:14:30]** That means they must be based on adaptability. **[00:14:35]** If you consider how the human species actually evolved, **[00:14:39]** our civilization, then at the bottom of that line, on that graph, **[00:14:43]** you also have on the side the number of years, **[00:14:48]** which lasted from one significant change in civilization to another. **[00:14:53]** If you look, from the origin of life **[00:14:57]** to some multicellular organisms, that was 10 to the 9 billion years. **[00:15:03]** Somewhere in the middle, from homo sapiens, homo sapiens sapiens, **[00:15:07]** when we started greeting each other at the entrance to caves, **[00:15:11]** that was around 10 to the 5, 10 thousand years. **[00:15:15]** From the industrial revolution to the computer, it's only 10 to the 2, 100 years. **[00:15:21]** At the very bottom, we have the personal computer, **[00:15:25]** that's just decades. And we are already past that point. **[00:15:30]** If you imagine, for example, comparing **[00:15:34]** GPT a year ago and today, it recently had an anniversary, **[00:15:38]** or Mid Journey, imagine a year ago and today, **[00:15:41]** we live in a time when from month to month we overcome **[00:15:45]** the same technical revolutions **[00:15:49]** that used to take hundreds, maybe thousands of years. **[00:15:53]** Which means that we actually wake up every morning to a different world **[00:15:57]** than the one we went to bed in the night before. **[00:16:00]** And therefore, education focused on the future no longer concerns **[00:16:03]** just children. It concerns every single one of us. **[00:16:06]** Every morning we have to wake up, look around, **[00:16:09]** to see what world we have actually woken up to again, **[00:16:12]** adapt, and only then put on our underwear. **[00:16:15]** Only then do we leave the house. Because without that we wouldn't be able to **[00:16:19]** handle the next... You can do it the other way around. First underwear, **[00:16:22]** then look around, but you probably wouldn't do that much later that day. **[00:16:26]** And what that means is that actually all educational systems **[00:16:31]** for children and adults today must be lifelong. **[00:16:35]** There is no longer a person who can say, **[00:16:39]** I know enough already. Today, every day the total volume of knowledge grows **[00:16:44]** more than it ever has in the world before over hundreds, **[00:16:48]** tens of years. And therefore adaptability is one of the basic **[00:16:52]** engines for us to be successful in our lives. **[00:16:56]** Imagine if we could travel in time. **[00:17:01]** What you see in the picture is Píšta. Píšta is SBSKAR in a bank **[00:17:05]** and it has one significant ability that none of us have, **[00:17:09]** at least I hope I don't have it, maybe some of you do, **[00:17:12]** that they know how to travel in time. Píšta can move through time **[00:17:15]** and so Píšta from January 2020 can talk **[00:17:19]** to Píšta from January 2022. And the 2020 one says, **[00:17:23]** listen to what happened to me today. I'm sitting in the bank on that chair **[00:17:28]** behind the door and suddenly a guy comes into the bank with his whole face **[00:17:35]** covered by a surgical mask, a pervert. **[00:17:41]** In January 2020. So I jumped up from the chair, **[00:17:46]** grabbed him by the collar like this, threw him quickly **[00:17:49]** onto the chair where I had been sitting and said to him, **[00:17:52]** what the hell is this? You can't enter the bank **[00:18:01]** And I threw him out. And the one from January 2022 says to him, **[00:18:05]** wait, but what happened to me? We come to work, **[00:18:09]** I'm sitting on that chair and suddenly a guy walks into the bank, **[00:18:13]** I saw all his airways, he didn't even try, **[00:18:18]** to wear a scarf or turtleneck, just nose, mouth, everything, **[00:18:22]** even the weather reporters are now wearing these masks. I said to him, **[00:18:25]** and he walks into the bank without a covered face, how do you imagine that? **[00:18:32]** The same person, the same chair, the same bank, **[00:18:35]** what changed is the context. When the pandemic measures were closing, **[00:18:40]** I went back to one of my favorite texts, **[00:18:43]** and that was a twofold message of a French law, **[00:18:46]** which banned Muslim women from walking down the street **[00:18:50]** with their faces covered. From today's perspective, it's an extremely funny text. **[00:18:55]** We are even in a situation where the same Muslim woman, **[00:19:03]** today, depending on the level of pandemic measures, **[00:19:06]** can be fined for either having or not having her face covered, **[00:19:10]** because both things still apply. **[00:19:14]** What changes are the contexts. We all purely live **[00:19:18]** in our own bubbles. Context is where we grew up, **[00:19:23]** who raised us, our religion, whether we're from a small village, **[00:19:27]** or a big village, or from Bratislava, Košice, Prague, Brno. **[00:19:31]** Whether we're straight or anything else. **[00:19:36]** Whether we like aspic, yeah, now half of me was wondering, **[00:19:41]** what is aspic? Or not. All of this creates our context. **[00:19:46]** And if you look at the picture now, the ladies **[00:19:50]** we have in those bubbles, let's say they work in the same company, **[00:19:54]** let's say they are roughly the same age, **[00:19:58]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:02]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:06]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:10]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:14]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:18]** that means that in some bubbles being created, **[00:20:00]** in some area they might not even need to talk much, they just know. **[00:20:04]** This is where contexts overlap, that basically on that level **[00:20:08]** they perceive the world the same way and have roughly the same amount of knowledge about it. **[00:20:15]** But in other things, they can differ fundamentally from each other. **[00:20:20]** For example, in successes. **[00:20:22]** But the boy, he is both a punk and from the east, **[00:20:27]** so it takes a moment to understand what they are talking about, **[00:20:32]** but he is nice. **[00:20:34]** So his bubble is always kind of detached, **[00:20:38]** that's his context. **[00:20:40]** It takes a moment for someone to catch on, **[00:20:44]** and when they don't, that's when the contexts bounce off each other like this, **[00:20:47]** like two billiard balls, and suddenly people act like **[00:20:50]** he is very strange, I don't want to be in this bubble, **[00:20:54]** I'm going somewhere else. **[00:20:56]** And yet it could have been a very interesting conversation. **[00:20:59]** Another thing happening in our society is that **[00:21:02]** our society is becoming more and more polarized, **[00:21:05]** and people have fewer and fewer shared views, values, and opinions. **[00:21:08]** What you see in that gif is the degree of polarization **[00:21:12]** in American society between 1994 and 2017. **[00:21:17]** In 1994, if you look at the purple, **[00:21:23]** or violet hill in the middle, **[00:21:27]** that was what used to be called the mainstream. **[00:21:30]** Those were basically the generally accepted, **[00:21:35]** moderate centrist positions. **[00:21:38]** It was a world where it was possible **[00:21:41]** that the Conservative Party in Great Britain **[00:21:44]** passed same-sex marriage. **[00:21:48]** Positions between liberals and conservatives were so close to each other in that world **[00:21:53]** that it basically only depended on who came up with a good idea first **[00:21:57]** and then they kind of passed it around and pretended **[00:22:00]** that they invented it and that it was either liberal, **[00:22:03]** or conservative depending on who was in power at the time. **[00:22:06]** If we look at 2017, and say, **[00:22:09]** that since then the situation has worsened, the center of gravity **[00:22:13]** is clearly no longer in the middle. The center of gravity is on the edges. **[00:22:17]** It's important to say that the opinion-forming authorities, **[00:22:21]** who usually stand at the top of those hills, **[00:22:24]** often don't realize that they are moving in one **[00:22:27]** or the other direction. Those who were once in the center **[00:22:31]** and shaped the opinion for the whole society, **[00:22:34]** are now extremists on one side or the other, **[00:22:37]** because naturally they pull people behind them and they don't understand at all **[00:22:41]** why someone suddenly is so fundamentally different from them, **[00:22:44]** because they stand on the other hill. **[00:22:47]** Just imagine, a trouser leg, or I don't know, **[00:22:52]** who has gone crazy in the Czech Republic recently. **[00:22:56]** Well, it doesn't matter. In Slovakia, it could be Markovič. **[00:23:00]** Milan Markovič was once at the top of that hill in the center. **[00:23:04]** An opinion-forming authority, respected by everyone, **[00:23:09]** now his mind is so messed up that he has completely **[00:23:13]** fallen to the edge of that desolate scene and he doesn't understand **[00:23:17]** why the whole world is suddenly different, even though crowds still follow him. **[00:23:21]** But now it's only half of the whole and it's on the lower **[00:23:24]** end of the opinion scale. **[00:23:30]** This means we have an increasingly polarized society, **[00:23:35]** and paradoxically today, moderate centrist positions **[00:23:39]** are becoming the margins of discussion. **[00:23:43]** In Slovakia, it happened that Maroš Kramár, an actor, **[00:23:47]** pinched the butt of a woman who was doing his makeup **[00:23:53]** during the filming of a show, and the director included it **[00:23:58]** in the credits of the show. A huge scandal, **[00:24:02]** because he pinched her butt. Now, in the old world, **[00:24:06]** no one would have even noticed. That would have been exactly the hill. **[00:24:10]** Of course, there were some feminist voices **[00:24:14]** on the edge of that hill, and there were jerks on the other side. **[00:24:18]** The feminists would say it probably shouldn't happen, jerks, **[00:24:22]** and in the center people would say, **[00:24:26]** it happened. But today, Maroš Kramár struggles hard **[00:24:30]** to maintain a centrist position, that I am from some older world, **[00:24:34]** which has been erased from the world. And on the other side, the whole spectrum **[00:24:38]** of Slovak jerks, Andráši and company, say, **[00:24:42]** that no one wants that woman anyway, she is just seeking attention. **[00:24:46]** And now Maroš Kramar couldn't stay in the middle, saying, **[00:24:50]** that maybe he'll apologize and let's just do something, **[00:24:54]** that he's already an older person. Both sides told him, **[00:24:58]** either play with us or with them, because there are no middle positions. **[00:25:02]** And suddenly there's no space for meaningful discussion **[00:25:06]** about contexts. Regardless of what we think about it. **[00:25:10]** Of course, it shouldn't be like that, of course times have changed, **[00:25:14]** but the way we communicate about it is changing. **[00:25:18]** This is Anička in the top picture, she's a lesbian, **[00:25:24]** Mohamed is a Muslim, wheelchair user. **[00:25:28]** What would you say is the overlap **[00:25:32]** between their bubbles? **[00:25:42]** Lesbian girls somewhere in Ostrava, **[00:25:46]** and a Muslim wheelchair user in the Czech Republic, **[00:25:50]** or Moravia, probably know what it means to live on the edge of society. **[00:25:54]** They know what it means to be a minority. **[00:25:58]** But if we asked them, for example, about the value of marriage, **[00:26:02]** they would probably be on opposite sides of their bubbles. **[00:26:06]** Then there's Mr. Jozef. Mr. Jozef is an interesting case. **[00:26:10]** He lives somewhere in Spiš and his pasture is on the meadow, **[00:26:14]** and his only contact with the world was a transistor radio, **[00:26:18]** which played next to him and told him how the world is. **[00:26:22]** Most of the year he doesn't talk to anyone, only to the ram he has there, **[00:26:26]** and basically all the information he learns about the world **[00:26:30]** comes from that radio. **[00:26:34]** And for him, how the world is, is what is said on the radio. **[00:26:38]** And at some point his son came to him, a member of the Slovak community, **[00:26:42]** which is a small paramilitary fascist organization, **[00:26:46]** and told him, don't listen to that radio, it's all nonsense, **[00:26:50]** and gave him a phone with Facebook, **[00:26:54]** and suddenly his feed on Facebook started telling him **[00:26:58]** how the world is. But when you have a fascist son, **[00:27:02]** there's a high probability that when you log into Facebook, **[00:27:06]** the first things you see will be from his fascist friends. **[00:27:10]** Which immediately traps you in a bubble **[00:27:14]** you can't get out of. And suddenly you find out **[00:27:18]** that we're being sprayed with chemtrails, the moon landing never happened, **[00:27:22]** the earth is flat, Hitler was basically a pretty decent guy, **[00:27:26]** he built workers' housing, everything went well for him. **[00:27:30]** This can come from a group of 50 people, **[00:27:34]** but until then you listened to the transistor telling you **[00:27:38]** how the world is, and now you read Facebook **[00:27:42]** telling you how the world is, so you won't perceive the difference **[00:27:46]** in the quality of that information. **[00:27:50]** Imagine then half a year of conversations with Baran, **[00:27:54]** when Bača Jozef comes to the valley and experiences a huge cultural shock, **[00:27:58]** when many of the things he read on Facebook **[00:28:02]** suddenly people start telling him are not true. **[00:28:06]** And that's where the first clash with a different opinion happens, **[00:28:10]** for which he is mentally completely unprepared. **[00:28:14]** Some things cause the boundaries of our bubbles to strengthen incredibly, **[00:28:18]** making them even harder. **[00:28:22]** The bubbles bounce off each other more and more without any interaction between them, **[00:28:26]** and that's where the mess happens, **[00:28:30]** which we are in today and live in. **[00:28:38]** Now I'll let you think about this question. **[00:28:42]** What can we still agree on, **[00:28:46]** when each bubble suddenly believes its own truth? **[00:28:52]** Why do they talk about the so-called post-truth era? **[00:28:58]** It's because there is no longer one central truth. **[00:29:04]** We have several competing truths of varying quality, **[00:29:08]** based on different premises. Some are scientific, **[00:29:12]** some unscientific, some based on manipulation, **[00:29:16]** some on explanation, but in any case, since one thing holds, **[00:29:20]** that human society always stands on mutual agreement, **[00:29:24]** and only from that depends what we can consider truth **[00:29:28]** or reality, if you have superior truths **[00:29:32]** represented by a sufficiently large group in society, **[00:29:36]** then it is no longer possible to find one common point **[00:29:40]** from which we could say which one is stronger. **[00:29:44]** We can compare them based on some parameters, **[00:29:48]** but basically they only win by power, **[00:29:52]** only by representation, only by the ability to spread. **[00:29:56]** And the question then is... **[00:30:00]** How should we find the way back to each other? **[00:30:05]** How to start talking again? **[00:30:08]** Who knows, who is this? **[00:30:11]** It's not a common face, don't worry. **[00:30:14]** Hey, that's my quirk that I know him, it's not your ignorance. **[00:30:18]** Ludwig Wittgenstein, a genius. **[00:30:21]** Brilliant mainly because he was able to reflect **[00:30:24]** even on his own mistakes. **[00:30:26]** And Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the founders of philosophy, language **[00:30:30]** and analytic philosophy and a great figure in formal logic **[00:30:36]** and today's theory and argumentation, **[00:30:39]** tried in his almost unreadable book **[00:30:43]** The Logical-Philosophical Treatise to create a perfect language. **[00:30:48]** If we all started communicating with it, **[00:30:51]** there would be no room for misunderstandings, no room for mistakes. **[00:30:55]** Because everything would mean something completely fixed. **[00:30:58]** He was convinced, and he certainly had a big ego, **[00:31:02]** that philosophy ended with the Logical-Philosophical Treatise. **[00:31:06]** The last sentence of the book says, what cannot be spoken about, **[00:31:10]** one must remain silent about. And then he closed it like that, period, done. **[00:31:15]** What was really great about him was that later, **[00:31:19]** I think he was trimming roses at some monastery **[00:31:22]** or doing similar things. Then he said to himself, **[00:31:25]** wait, wait, but you wrote something else in that book, **[00:31:28]** Ludwig, you wrote **[00:31:31]** that the limits of my language are the limits of my world. **[00:31:36]** And maybe you closed philosophy, but only for yourself. **[00:31:41]** Inside your own bubble. **[00:31:45]** And to be able to convey that to someone else, **[00:31:48]** you have to present it in a language they understand. **[00:31:51]** Because the limits of their language are the limits of their world. **[00:31:57]** And he formulated the so-called theory of language games, **[00:32:01]** which basically tells us that in order to be able **[00:32:05]** to have meaningful conversations, our worlds, **[00:32:10]** our languages must become friends. **[00:32:13]** We have to start naming similar things with the same words, **[00:32:17]** so that we can even conduct a meaningful dialogue. **[00:32:22]** And now imagine I say freedom, **[00:32:28]** and someone like Okamura tells me freedom. **[00:32:31]** Which compared to Slovak fascists is still like a very harmless monkey, **[00:32:36]** but still, it is fundamentally a different meaning of the word, **[00:32:44]** and suddenly our worlds have to become friends, **[00:32:48]** so that we can talk to each other. **[00:32:51]** Or I say success and a surgeon says success. **[00:32:58]** Or a triathlete who finishes his race says, **[00:33:08]** I survived, and a rape survivor says, I survived. **[00:33:14]** These are simple words, but if we don't pause to think about what lies behind them, **[00:33:19]** we have the foundation for some future trouble. **[00:33:24]** Because our worlds, our bubbles, our languages haven't had time to become friends. **[00:33:30]** And Ludwig Wittgenstein says that a language game begins **[00:33:34]** with every contact with another person, with every different audience. **[00:33:40]** For example, part of the language game we've started here is that **[00:33:44]** I always have to invent words that an average Czech doesn't understand, **[00:33:48]** and give examples from eastern Slovakia, **[00:33:52]** because I know that somewhere it will click in your brains, **[00:33:55]** since it's exotic to you. **[00:34:00]** If I were speaking to children, I would choose different words. **[00:34:05]** If I were speaking in English, I suddenly have to realize **[00:34:09]** that quoting a weasel, for example, doesn't make sense. **[00:34:15]** In every single game you play with an audience, **[00:34:18]** or with a colleague, or with children at home, or with your spouse, **[00:34:21]** you play a language game where you make your circle of knowledge friendly **[00:34:26]** and who you are, your context, with the context of that audience **[00:34:30]** or the person you are talking to. **[00:34:35]** Meaningful conversation only happens **[00:34:38]** when you take the time for those worlds to become friends first. **[00:34:43]** Because without that, the contexts always collide, **[00:34:47]** like two billiard balls. **[00:34:50]** So let's test our heads a bit. **[00:34:54]** We'll also use slides. This is my favorite task. **[00:34:58]** Imagine there are two types of cards. **[00:35:03]** One side of the card is yellow and the other is white. **[00:35:08]** The yellow sides have letters, the white sides have numbers. **[00:35:13]** The question is, which of the cards you see lying in front of you **[00:35:18]** do you need to flip to find out if this rule holds or not. **[00:35:23]** The rule says: If the orange side of the card has the letter E, **[00:35:28]** then the white side has the number 2. Which cards do you need to flip **[00:35:33]** to check if this rule is true or false? **[00:35:38]** Then you have the option to answer. It can be many or just one. **[00:35:43]** The emphasis is on which cards you must flip to find out. **[00:35:48]** I'll lay them out again here so you can think about it. **[00:35:58]** Good. Now let's see how the results announcement works. **[00:36:06]** Yes. **[00:36:09]** E, 2, only the E card, E2, E, one, E, still two cards of the same color, **[00:36:19]** any one, E2, still no correct answer yet. **[00:36:23]** Great. **[00:36:28]** Out of two people, we would already know one correct answer, **[00:36:32]** but not a single one answered completely correctly yet. **[00:36:35]** What could we expect? It usually happens very similarly. **[00:36:40]** Let's do it, I'll tell you the result afterwards. **[00:36:43]** And this is a similar situation. Again, you have to say, **[00:36:48]** what you would do to find out if the rule is valid. **[00:36:51]** The rule is actually a law in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. **[00:36:54]** And if you are under 18 years old, you must drink non-alcoholic drinks, **[00:36:57]** so you are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. **[00:37:00]** The question is, if we have a boy who is 13 years old and is drinking something. **[00:37:05]** We have a woman, 21 years old, who is also drinking something. **[00:37:08]** We have a woman of unknown age who is drinking Kofola. **[00:37:12]** And a man of unknown age who is drinking wine. **[00:37:15]** What and whom do we need to ask to find out, **[00:37:20]** whether the rule applies or not. **[00:37:23]** So what and whom do you ask to find out, **[00:37:27]** if this rule applies or does not apply, **[00:37:30]** that if you are under 18 years old, you must drink non-alcoholic drinks. **[00:37:34]** And now I'll put it like this in front of you, **[00:37:37]** but let's try to give both results. **[00:37:46]** The boy, then 18, yes, good. **[00:37:50]** We should ask everyone, someone wrote. **[00:37:54]** The staff. **[00:37:57]** Yes. **[00:38:00]** The man with the wine, good. **[00:38:03]** The boy, yes, good, that's the correct answer. **[00:38:06]** The boy, 13. What are you drinking? **[00:38:09]** Yes, we would ask him, if it's a family celebration **[00:38:12]** and we see him taking some half-finished glasses from the table. **[00:38:16]** Or a wedding. **[00:38:19]** And that bearded man, who is a bit deceptive about his age, **[00:38:22]** we would ask him, **[00:38:25]** are you already 18 years old? **[00:38:28]** So on the level of logic, the first and second tasks are certain. **[00:38:35]** What changed was the context. **[00:38:38]** It is much easier for you to solve a logical task, **[00:38:44]** when it is embedded in a context that is common in your daily experience. **[00:38:49]** Now, when we look at it back, the correct answer is E and 7. **[00:38:57]** We have to turn the E card to see if there is a 2 on the other side, **[00:39:01]** because the rule says if the first is E, the second must be 2. **[00:39:05]** We have to flip the seven to find out, **[00:39:09]** if there's an E on the other side by any chance. **[00:39:14]** Hey, we're asking the boy how many fingers he has. **[00:39:19]** We need to verify the first part of the condition. **[00:39:23]** If there was an E, flipping it would mean there's no two on the other side, and the rule wouldn't hold. **[00:39:27]** With a two, it doesn't matter what's on the other side. **[00:39:31]** The rule says if there's an E, there must be a 2 on the other side. **[00:39:35]** But even if there's an I and a 2 on the other side, the rule still holds. **[00:39:39]** And the K doesn't interest us because the rule says nothing about it, **[00:39:43]** it could just as well be a two, **[00:39:47]** because that doesn't contradict the rule that if E is first, **[00:39:51]** then 2 must be second. **[00:39:55]** You don't need to worry that there were few correct answers. **[00:39:59]** The usual rate is 10%. **[00:40:00]** The Wason word problem has been given for decades on various forums, **[00:40:06]** and usually about 10% of people get it right. **[00:40:10]** What's interesting is that Mošman and Gajlova, two psychologists **[00:40:15]** or sociologists, did an experiment where instead of individuals, **[00:40:21]** they used well-communicating teams. **[00:40:25]** Interestingly, and I think this deserves a Nobel, **[00:40:29]** when you replace individuals with well-communicating teams, **[00:40:33]** the success rate rises from the usual 10-11% **[00:40:39]** to almost 80%. **[00:40:43]** Just because the human brain is wired to find solutions **[00:40:47]** through communication, not alone. **[00:40:50]** Genius individuals statistically always lose **[00:40:54]** to well-communicating teams. **[00:40:58]** So what do we know about today's world? **[00:41:01]** Times are speeding up, we keep discovering new things **[00:41:05]** at an ever faster pace, the world is increasingly complex, **[00:41:09]** people are educating themselves more and more, **[00:41:13]** but for the best solutions, we need to know how to communicate. **[00:41:17]** So everything actually pulls us apart **[00:41:21]** and the solutions to our worst problems ahead **[00:41:25]** depend on our ability to talk. **[00:41:31]** What can help us expand our bubbles **[00:41:35]** and gently understand others' contexts **[00:41:39]** are the tools and patterns **[00:41:43]** that make up critical thinking. **[00:41:47]** That we actually start thinking about our own thinking, **[00:41:51]** about how we acquire information, **[00:41:55]** that we start making patterns in it, **[00:41:59]** how it organizes itself in our head, **[00:42:03]** and then we make patterns in how we communicate about our content with someone else. **[00:42:07]** This is the answer to the question, **[00:42:11]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:15]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:19]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:23]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:27]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:31]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:35]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:39]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:43]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:47]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:51]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:55]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:42:59]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:03]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:07]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:11]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:15]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:19]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:23]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:27]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:31]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:35]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:39]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:43]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:47]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:51]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:55]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:43:59]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:03]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:07]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:11]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:15]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:19]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:23]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:27]** that I gave you right at the beginning on that slide, **[00:44:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:44:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:15]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:19]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:23]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:27]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:45:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:15]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:19]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:23]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:27]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:46:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:15]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:19]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:23]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:27]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:47:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:15]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:19]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:23]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:27]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:48:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:15]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:19]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:23]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:27]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:31]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:35]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:39]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:43]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:47]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:51]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:55]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:49:59]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:50:03]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:50:07]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:50:11]** which I gave you right at the very beginning in that slide, **[00:50:00]** regarding migration, where we don't agree. **[00:50:03]** But knowing, saying that we agree on something, **[00:50:06]** actually creates the first overlap of those bubbles, **[00:50:09]** the first common ground, **[00:50:11]** which makes a person understand that we are not so different from each other, **[00:50:15]** that we have many common attitudes, **[00:50:18]** and thus you create space to be able to talk with such a person. **[00:50:23]** The third thing, discover new things. **[00:50:27]** When you say wow, I never thought about it that way before, **[00:50:35]** you suddenly add extra value to the other person. **[00:50:40]** They enriched you somehow, gave you something in life, **[00:50:43]** you learned something new. **[00:50:46]** And often we actually miss added value **[00:50:55]** in other areas of discussions, **[00:50:59]** because we don't consider where the person is coming from, **[00:51:03]** we don't think about their context, what leads them to that. **[00:51:09]** What's interesting, for example, I now work in Kyiv **[00:51:14]** and commute between Ukraine and Slovakia, and whenever I come home, **[00:51:18]** I get really annoyed by the Darwinian nature **[00:51:22]** of the Slovak nation, that they actually win all wars, **[00:51:26]** because they always fight on both sides. **[00:51:32]** And sometimes I get really angry, hey, **[00:51:35]** when I listen for two or three weeks, **[00:51:38]** to terrible, terrible stories about kidnapped children, **[00:51:42]** about planted grenades in washing machines, in toys, **[00:51:46]** under injured animals, when I talk to people, **[00:51:54]** and then I come home and someone says we should probably **[00:51:58]** give Crimea and even Donbass to the Russians to have peace. **[00:52:02]** But then when someone says, you know, I'm afraid, **[00:52:06]** I think, aha, maybe **[00:52:10]** most Slovaks are not pro-Russian. **[00:52:14]** They are just afraid of the Russians. And of course, in '68 they passed **[00:52:18]** through us like a knife through butter, **[00:52:22]** maybe we shouldn't keep scaring them, **[00:52:26]** maybe we should start working with that fear somehow, **[00:52:30]** maybe we should start talking about it, **[00:52:34]** what protects us, why it makes sense, for example. **[00:52:38]** And suddenly we have a different view on the other side **[00:52:42]** of the discussion and we begin to find a way to it. **[00:52:46]** So, when we finish listening and summarize, **[00:52:50]** when we are able to look for, **[00:52:54]** what we have in common with the other side, **[00:52:58]** and when we are able to discover something new, **[00:53:02]** that enriched us and appreciate it, only then **[00:53:06]** do we go into our own argumentation. **[00:53:10]** Why is it like that? **[00:53:14]** Because at that moment we made the other side feel **[00:53:18]** that they are still a human being, **[00:53:22]** that they speak meaningfully, **[00:53:26]** that what they claim can be traced somewhere in their inner world, **[00:53:30]** that we have a relationship, that we value them **[00:53:34]** to explain their own position. **[00:53:38]** And when we do this, we actually earn, **[00:53:42]** we create the space to be able to say, **[00:53:46]** what we think about it. **[00:53:50]** You won't convince. You can hardly convince a person with a different opinion. **[00:53:54]** But if they walk away from that conversation **[00:53:58]** thinking about it and don't tell you to go to hell, **[00:54:02]** then you have won. **[00:54:06]** If they don't slam the door and burn the bridge, **[00:54:10]** if the family dinner still ends with **[00:54:14]** us looking at photos of children and dogs and cats **[00:54:18]** and watching videos from our prom 20 years ago, **[00:54:22]** then we have won. **[00:54:26]** Because given the level of entropy in today's society, **[00:54:30]** which we have created, **[00:54:34]** when we created, **[00:54:38]** when we created, **[00:54:42]** when we created, **[00:54:46]** when we created, **[00:54:50]** when we created, **[00:54:54]** when we created, **[00:54:58]** when we created, **[00:55:02]** when we created, **[00:55:06]** when we created, **[00:55:10]** when we created, **[00:55:14]** when we created, **[00:55:18]** when we created, **[00:55:22]** when we created, **[00:55:26]** when we created, **[00:55:30]** when we created, **[00:55:34]** when we created, **[00:55:38]** when we created, **[00:55:42]** when we created, **[00:55:46]** when we created, **[00:55:50]** when we created, **[00:55:54]** when we created, **[00:55:58]** when we created, **[00:56:02]** when we created, **[00:56:06]** when we created, **[00:56:10]** when we created, **[00:56:14]** when we created, **[00:56:18]** when we created, **[00:56:22]** when we created, **[00:56:26]** when we created, **[00:56:30]** when we created, **[00:56:34]** when we created, **[00:56:38]** when we created, **[00:56:42]** when we created, **[00:56:46]** when we created, **[00:56:50]** when we created, **[00:56:54]** when we created, **[00:56:58]** when we created, **[00:57:02]** when we created, **[00:57:06]** when we created, **[00:57:10]** when we created, **[00:57:14]** when we created, **[00:57:18]** when we created, **[00:57:22]** when we created, **[00:57:26]** when we created, **[00:57:30]** when we created, **[00:57:34]** when we created, **[00:57:38]** when we created, **[00:57:42]** when we created, **[00:57:46]** when we created, **[00:57:50]** when we created, **[00:57:54]** when we created, **[00:57:58]** when we created, **[00:58:02]** when we created, **[00:58:06]** when we created, **[00:58:10]** when we created, **[00:58:14]** when we created, **[00:58:18]** when we created, **[00:58:22]** when we created, **[00:58:26]** when we created, **[00:58:30]** when we created, **[00:58:34]** when we created, **[00:58:38]** when we created, **[00:58:42]** when we created, **[00:58:46]** when we created, **[00:58:50]** when we created, **[00:58:54]** when we created, **[00:58:58]** when we created, **[00:59:02]** when we created, **[00:59:06]** when we created, **[00:59:10]** when we created, **[00:59:14]** when we created, **[00:59:18]** when we created, **[00:59:22]** when we created, **[00:59:26]** when we created, **[00:59:30]** when we created, **[00:59:34]** when we created, **[00:59:38]** when we created, **[00:59:42]** when we created, **[00:59:46]** when we created, **[00:59:50]** when we created, **[00:59:54]** when we created. **[01:00:00]** we talked. The first thing, pay attention to understanding others' contexts **[01:00:05]** and cultivate systematic curiosity. **[01:00:09]** Systematic curiosity means that you actually expect from the world **[01:00:15]** to be surprised. I don't know if you've spent time with a **[01:00:19]** five-year-old child recently, but that is the embodiment **[01:00:23]** of systematic curiosity, because you already talk and the basis of questions is, **[01:00:27]** Why. And when a garbage truck comes near a five-year-old child **[01:00:34]** or a UFO lands, it's just as strong a phenomenon. **[01:00:39]** Imagine a garbage truck coming towards you **[01:00:42]** or a UFO landing. You might not even notice the truck, but the UFO would **[01:00:46]** shock you, cause a stroke, a heart attack. Because systematic curiosity **[01:00:52]** is no longer part of our everyday life. **[01:00:56]** But if we go back to the speed and dynamics of today's **[01:01:01]** world development, then precisely children's systematic curiosity, **[01:01:06]** embedded in context and structured thinking, **[01:01:11]** is a basic prerequisite for our adaptability in the world. **[01:01:15]** We must always, that's interesting, that's new, right? **[01:01:19]** There exists a self-learning computer network. **[01:01:23]** Wow. There exists a robot made of molecules, **[01:01:29]** that can clean pipes. Wow. **[01:01:33]** There exists a drone that can carry a person. **[01:01:39]** Hey, it was recently tested normally, with only a joystick on it. **[01:01:43]** You Ukrainians, listen to me, they have created **[01:01:47]** a virtual map of all Ukraine that automatically matches **[01:01:52]** a specific vehicle with its license plate, in all footage **[01:01:56]** from their entire system and with its tire tread. **[01:02:00]** So basically, when a drone flies over a field, **[01:02:05]** if there are tire tracks, they roughly know what kind of car it is, where it came from, **[01:02:08]** what it was carrying, and how lightly loaded it was. Just based on the system, **[01:02:11]** because they thought about these things differently. Or this summer **[01:02:14]** they needed to know where the mined fields were, **[01:02:18]** so they started making thermal images of the fields, because when the sun shines, **[01:02:21]** mines heat up faster. Suddenly dots appeared on the fields **[01:02:25]** and they knew exactly where the mines were, **[01:02:30]** because the big mines started glowing. **[01:02:33]** Systematic curiosity means always trying to look at everything **[01:02:36]** in a new way and welcoming the new. And when I meet a friend, **[01:02:39]** a friend I saw a week ago, the world has changed so much in that week, **[01:02:43]** that I keep asking, what's new with you? That's systematic curiosity. **[01:02:47]** And at the level of conversations, it means we don't take anyone as finished. **[01:02:51]** We don't take anyone as complete. We see people as constantly evolving **[01:02:55]** full human beings worth asking about change **[01:03:01]** since the last time we met. **[01:03:06]** The second thing. Let people talk. Don't interrupt them unnecessarily. **[01:03:09]** And if you disagree with them, use the technique of kind criticism. **[01:03:20]** It can be quick. Often it's not some big political concept, **[01:03:26]** that you have to explain from Adam Smith or whoever. **[01:03:31]** Sometimes it's just simple things. Let people say **[01:03:36]** what's on their mind, and only then jump in with **[01:03:40]** what you think differently. Or if you don't let them finish, **[01:03:44]** if you interrupt them, or if you wait too long **[01:03:52]** you actually close the door to meaningful communication. **[01:03:56]** It can still be meaningful in the end, but it will be meaningful by the will **[01:04:00]** of the other person. It won't be meaningful based on how you built it. **[01:04:04]** Justify your claims and formulate strong arguments, **[01:04:08]** meaning have opinions based on strong analysis, **[01:04:12]** which is underneath. And the last thing, don't try to convince and win. **[01:04:16]** If you happen to succeed, that's a plus. **[01:04:20]** But if you manage just not to burn bridges, that's enough today. **[01:04:29]** In case no one has left yet, no one is asleep or bored, **[01:04:34]** and you'd like to know something, then Pořádek v hlave **[01:04:38]** has been published in Czech translation. The godmother is sitting here. **[01:04:43]** The Czech translation. It's a book I wrote so that **[01:04:47]** all these things I've told over 26 years **[01:04:51]** and tested on audiences, I wrote it as **[01:04:55]** I knew it worked. **[01:04:59]** I started as a high school debater in 1996 **[01:05:03]** and was lucky to learn argumentation theory **[01:05:07]** between 2003 and 2006 from the best in the world. **[01:05:12]** Thanks to being an international trainer of trainers, **[01:05:16]** I was prepared by professors from the US and Great Britain **[01:05:20]** to teach trainers how to teach debate. And I still draw from that today. **[01:05:26]** Everything you find in that book is proven in practice. **[01:05:30]** The people I work with are political consultants, **[01:05:34]** mediators, facilitators, **[01:05:39]** researchers, and each of them has everything they do **[01:05:43]** proven by daily practice. I always teach **[01:05:48]** and talk only about things that work for me in life. **[01:05:52]** I don't talk about things based on theory. **[01:05:56]** And if you enjoy listening to this melodic and microphone voice, **[01:06:01]** you can type into your favorite... **[01:06:05]** What happened? **[01:06:11]** We can say that a person living in Ukraine **[01:06:15]** doesn't like this. **[01:06:19]** I was already thinking about where the nearest shelter is. **[01:06:24]** So if you like that voice, on Spotify, **[01:06:28]** or anywhere, just type my name, Martin Poliačík, **[01:06:32]** there are podcasts about parenting. **[01:06:36]** I talked with Ludvig Peter generally about critical thinking. **[01:06:41]** There are podcasts mostly dedicated to business. **[01:06:45]** You can find critical thinking on various topics. **[01:06:49]** There are definitely at least 10 podcasts there, **[01:06:53]** so you can focus specifically on a certain topic. **[01:06:57]** In case you say this would be useful in our... **[01:07:01]** Wait, that was the timer. **[01:07:05]** Damn! **[01:07:09]** Put some ticks there. **[01:07:14]** You’re sending the guest for water, huh? **[01:07:18]** So, if you want to bring this into your company... **[01:07:22]** We are currently in a situation, **[01:07:26]** where on the topic of structured thinking and how to work with it, **[01:07:30]** we can train for 28 full days. **[01:07:34]** So what you have here now as a kind of sample, **[01:07:38]** we can deliver as a large training program that will guide you **[01:07:42]** all the way to very complex meeting and leadership techniques. **[01:07:46]** And if you say you specifically need this person **[01:07:50]** in your life, we also offer one-on-one consultations **[01:07:54]** or for small groups, where we help people apply what we teach in training **[01:08:00]** to specific situations **[01:08:04]** in their work and personal lives. **[01:08:08]** So, SK is an address that works, **[01:08:12]** because I don’t read it. Linda from our company reads it, **[01:08:16]** co-author of otherwise order in the head, and she will definitely **[01:08:21]** know how to connect you to the right person based on what you need, **[01:08:25]** someone who can help you in the situation **[01:08:28]** you find yourself in. **[01:08:32]** So, as you noticed, the timer ended. **[01:08:36]** And now we’re probably moving into some interaction. **[01:08:40]** I want to. Thanks a lot. **[01:08:50]** I’ll go a bit slower. **[01:08:54]** Okay, I’ll have some tea here. **[01:08:58]** You need to fit it into the frame. **[01:09:02]** We have some improvements. Next time we’ll add a little tick. **[01:09:06]** I’m really sorry about that. Believe me, my heart stopped too. **[01:09:14]** I have a proposal for you. And a request at the same time. **[01:09:18]** We want to share this lecture completely freely **[01:09:22]** and as soon as possible, wherever we can. **[01:09:26]** And if you want to be part of this, **[01:09:30]** please help us with that. **[01:09:34]** So it reaches as many people and as far as possible, **[01:09:38]** to eyes and ears, we would really appreciate it. **[01:09:42]** So you who are watching us, please help us with this. **[01:09:46]** And I thank you very much for this lecture. **[01:09:50]** What happened? I really enjoyed being here. I had a great time. **[01:09:54]** Actually, I want to end this and say, as has already been said, **[01:09:58]** there are many questions, so I will create, **[01:10:00]** I'll take out my mobile phone, I'm not texting, okay, and I'll look at them. **[01:10:04]** Great lecture. Could you please give an example of **[01:10:08]** the most interesting, kind argumentation you have recently applied **[01:10:12]** with someone who has a completely different opinion? **[01:10:16]** I have a person who **[01:10:20]** is extremely close to my heart, one **[01:10:24]** of my closest people in the world. **[01:10:28]** At the same time, they live in a world where **[01:10:32]** vaccination is seen as bad, **[01:10:36]** where some kind of elite conspiracy exists, **[01:10:40]** but since this is one of the bridges **[01:10:44]** I absolutely do not want to burn, **[01:10:48]** I always make sure first to listen **[01:10:52]** to where it comes from. **[01:10:56]** Because this person takes great care of their own body, **[01:11:00]** they do cold exposure, meditate, **[01:11:04]** it's not that they want to devalue vaccination itself, **[01:11:08]** but they are very upset that **[01:11:12]** vaccination is used as a substitute **[01:11:16]** for people taking care of themselves. **[01:11:20]** In their ideal world, they want people to start cold exposure, **[01:11:24]** to eat healthier, to stop eating meat, **[01:11:28]** to feel better, to have embodiment. **[01:11:32]** When this person starts talking to me, I always first try to listen **[01:11:36]** to their initial position and then I say, **[01:11:40]** ah, so you say vaccination doesn't bother you that much, **[01:11:44]** but what bothers you is that there is no conversation about that, **[01:11:52]** that you should take care of your mental health. **[01:11:56]** You should endure the cold because it strengthens your immunity. **[01:12:00]** You should pay attention to what you eat, **[01:12:04]** because it provides you with vitamins and minerals. **[01:12:08]** You should meditate and take care of your inner peace, **[01:12:12]** because that strengthens your immunity. **[01:12:16]** You say this should come before we start vaccinating people. **[01:12:20]** And he says, hey, that's exactly what I meant. **[01:12:24]** Then I tell him, I never thought about **[01:12:28]** how much could be achieved if we were healthier, **[01:12:32]** and then the pandemic came, so I'll take some time to try to come to terms with it. **[01:12:38]** And I completely agree with you that **[01:12:42]** overall, humanity would be better off **[01:12:46]** if we didn't just rely on medicine coming to us, **[01:12:50]** but if we actively activated the medicine **[01:12:54]** that each of us has inside, because placebo wouldn't exist **[01:12:58]** if self-healing processes didn't exist. **[01:13:02]** That's their essence, that placebo starts to work **[01:13:06]** because I think it believes something is healing it from outside, while it's actually healing from inside. **[01:13:10]** And limitedly, of course, but it works. **[01:13:14]** Then I say thank you. **[01:13:18]** I will think a lot about **[01:13:22]** what else we could do alongside regular medicine **[01:13:26]** to make people healthier, **[01:13:30]** but when a pandemic comes and medicine can't keep up, **[01:13:34]** because hospitals are full and mostly people die **[01:13:38]** who are the most vulnerable. **[01:13:42]** Old, sick. **[01:13:46]** Then at that moment, by vaccinating the others, we give them a better chance **[01:13:50]** to survive. I try to think about it with regard to the other person, **[01:13:54]** not just focusing on the vaccinated individual. **[01:13:58]** And that's where I leave it. **[01:14:02]** That's basically the formula for using kind criticism, **[01:14:06]** which I know he will use later when talking **[01:14:10]** with his friends to be interesting in the discussion. And I leave him with that. **[01:14:14]** Thanks. I think that was **[01:14:18]** great according to your recipe. **[01:14:22]** I just want to ask, **[01:14:26]** who among you has ever like this with someone **[01:14:34]** Who led this discussion? Just try raising **[01:14:38]** your hand like this? I admit, I didn't at all. **[01:14:42]** And I have to work on that, so I find the lecture **[01:14:46]** really nice and valuable. Even what you said about the mom, **[01:14:50]** who is off by X, that's **[01:14:54]** really beautiful and interesting. **[01:14:58]** Great lecture, but elitistically, I think these principles **[01:15:02]** will be understood and embraced by only a tiny fraction, maybe a few percent of people. **[01:15:06]** Can you tell us about the next version? **[01:15:10]** That the formula is simple. **[01:15:14]** It will spread far and wide, even to you. **[01:15:18]** We've actually been talking about it in Slovakia **[01:15:22]** since the start of the pandemic, **[01:15:26]** because even before that, my colleague Hanka Skliarska **[01:15:30]** used it at meetings before elections **[01:15:34]** in Slovakia on various occasions. **[01:15:38]** So basically, the technique of kind criticism requires **[01:15:42]** only time and a different approach to conversation. **[01:15:46]** It's true that at the beginning there is **[01:15:50]** some, as it was written there, elite, **[01:15:54]** some early adopters who will try to push it somehow **[01:15:58]** into their daily lives and discover its limits, **[01:16:02]** and if it doesn't work, sometimes you just get so upset by someone, **[01:16:06]** that you simply forget it and tell them to go to hell, **[01:16:10]** but just gaining more control over it, **[01:16:14]** how you actually approach those situations, **[01:16:18]** that you have more options to choose from, **[01:16:22]** how you want to get through the conversation, you already grow with that. **[01:16:26]** And for me, as a trainer and consultant, the most important thing **[01:16:30]** is the conscious decision-making of my clients. I don't teach them **[01:16:34]** to do things differently. I teach them to consciously decide **[01:16:38]** from the options they have, based on starting to **[01:16:42]** reflect on their thought and decision-making processes **[01:16:46]** and begin to navigate them. And it's possible that I will do the same thing, **[01:16:50]** as before, only now I will do it with the awareness that **[01:16:54]** I decided that myself. **[01:16:58]** Another anonymous question, and it's not because people forget **[01:17:02]** to write their name, that's fine. The language games and all that, **[01:17:06]** that you called it a game, is actually nice for me. It's not dependent **[01:17:10]** or exactly the same as social IQ? **[01:17:14]** Probably not. **[01:17:18]** Not really, like social IQ, what I think it is, **[01:17:22]** is some ability to adapt to new **[01:17:26]** manifestations of human beings, **[01:17:30]** because intelligence is adaptable, and since social intelligence is, **[01:17:34]** the reaction to unusual behavior, **[01:17:38]** which we need to quickly adapt to, is part of reading **[01:17:42]** other people's contexts. That, yes. **[01:17:46]** But it also requires a large intellectual capacity, **[01:17:50]** normally cognitive, because you're constantly playing with **[01:17:54]** the meanings of words. It's always, **[01:17:58]** it actually requires some mental investment from you, **[01:18:04]** so you don't take words for granted, **[01:18:08]** don't judge the meaning you have, as you're used to, **[01:18:12]** but that it can mean something else and question it. **[01:18:16]** Hey, in a company, when someone says we need to finish the year successfully, **[01:18:20]** what exactly does that mean? Hey, because the IT guy will say, **[01:18:24]** that his server won't crash, the marketer will say, **[01:18:28]** that the campaign will reach 15 million people, the salesperson will say, **[01:18:32]** that they'll have 30% conversion, and **[01:18:36]** the director will say they'll have a premiere. **[01:18:40]** Success is a different thing, and questioning it is **[01:18:44]** part of playing the language game honestly. **[01:18:48]** I associate it with curiosity, because **[01:18:52]** that playfulness seems really nice to me. **[01:18:56]** When you said that, I thought about it, **[01:19:00]** and you just said it here, that it requires **[01:19:04]** some cognitive capacity. That means that **[01:19:08]** it's probably hard to do when you're tired, this and that. **[01:19:12]** That's what I think, it means you really have to consciously focus on it. **[01:19:16]** And this kind of person like us is worth it, so they just devote that energy. **[01:19:20]** At the beginning, it's really hard. Imagine if you were to **[01:19:24]** start cycling today. Just at the beginning. **[01:19:28]** Or there's a great video, check it out sometime. **[01:19:32]** They made a bike that works so that when you turn right, **[01:19:36]** the wheel turns the wrong way. That's exactly **[01:19:40]** what happens in your brain when you learn new **[01:19:44]** thinking patterns. Suddenly it hurts like hell. **[01:19:48]** Unusual new synaptic connections are forming, **[01:19:52]** and the brain resists. It doesn't want to go there anymore, it thinks it's learned enough. **[01:19:56]** So yes, at the beginning you see it. **[01:20:00]** it requires a lot of time and energy **[01:20:03]** to actually rewire your brain **[01:20:06]** to the level of new patterns. **[01:20:08]** But when you start doing it regularly **[01:20:11]** and test it in reality, **[01:20:13]** in the end it actually starts saving you time. **[01:20:16]** Because you avoid a huge amount of problems. **[01:20:20]** Where you would normally jump up and start reacting, **[01:20:23]** you tell yourself, no no no. **[01:20:25]** Maybe you misunderstood something and better check again. **[01:20:28]** And at that moment you actually start saving energy. **[01:20:31]** Ok, thank you. **[01:20:35]** Do you work somewhere here in Prague? **[01:20:38]** Or where could I visit your organization? **[01:20:42]** Any course at all? **[01:20:44]** Yes, just write to the email address **[01:20:47]** that I provided there. **[01:20:50]** We also cooperate with Irenka, **[01:20:53]** who is one of the best experts in critical thinking **[01:20:58]** that I know. **[01:21:00]** We won the Czechoslovak championship **[01:21:03]** in academic debate in 2006 together. **[01:21:06]** I have to compliment. **[01:21:09]** So we have the contacts, we have the people. **[01:21:13]** Our actual boss, Hanka Skliarská, **[01:21:17]** spends half her time in Bratislava, half in Brno. **[01:21:20]** So yes, online we can definitely arrange something **[01:21:23]** and for training we definitely have access. **[01:21:26]** Do you have any involvement in the Slovak political scene? **[01:21:32]** Yes, but I have moved into the backstage. **[01:21:37]** After ten years in parliament **[01:21:40]** and experience in entrepreneurship **[01:21:43]** and now with Ukraine, **[01:21:46]** I try to do things that have visible impact, **[01:21:50]** because it would be complicated if it broke the facade. **[01:21:54]** But I haven't left politics. **[01:21:57]** I'm just doing it differently. **[01:22:01]** How to avoid using 'but' in the fourth point of argumentation, **[01:22:05]** when usually the other side perks up and counters the argument? **[01:22:09]** Yes, and. **[01:22:13]** Hey, replace 'yes but' with 'yes and.' **[01:22:17]** Yes, and I would also like to say that. **[01:22:20]** And suddenly you expand the conversation **[01:22:23]** to the point where you become the other side. **[01:22:26]** I have here... **[01:22:29]** How is it possible to get someone out of the misinformation bubble? **[01:22:36]** At first, I read it as 'babču.' **[01:22:40]** It doesn't matter. **[01:22:43]** This is an extremely controversial thing. **[01:22:46]** I know people who have outright deleted misinformation from their parents' **[01:22:50]** or grandparents' social media. **[01:22:54]** We don't approve of it, but it works. **[01:22:57]** The moment you enter their feed **[01:23:01]** and create a balanced mix of information from different sources, **[01:23:06]** that person starts to change before your eyes **[01:23:10]** and they don't know why. **[01:23:13]** It's manipulation, it's an intervention into their **[01:23:17]** private world. **[01:23:20]** Can we switch to the last slide? **[01:23:23]** Sure. **[01:23:26]** You continue. **[01:23:29]** I have ADHD, you know, the squirrel passes by, **[01:23:32]** and anyway, a second, gentler version is **[01:23:37]** to go through it with them. **[01:23:40]** That means just sit down with them **[01:23:43]** over their social media **[01:23:46]** and when you go through the things they follow, **[01:23:50]** also give them traditional media, **[01:23:53]** so their content is balanced, **[01:23:56]** at least to even it out. **[01:23:59]** And another thing is to try to, **[01:24:02]** give them time, **[01:24:05]** so they can listen to other people's conversations. **[01:24:08]** That's a fantastic thing, **[01:24:11]** because when you talk about something with someone else **[01:24:15]** and they just listen, they absorb much more, **[01:24:18]** than when they actively participate in the discussion. **[01:24:21]** Those would be about three types. **[01:24:24]** One is to leave it up to each person's judgment. **[01:24:28]** I probably wouldn't do that, **[01:24:31]** but it's an option. **[01:24:34]** The second one is, in my opinion, equivalent, **[01:24:37]** if there is willingness and openness from the other side. **[01:24:40]** The third thing works better than you'd think, **[01:24:43]** when it's just stuck onto the person. **[01:24:46]** Thanks a lot, Martina. **[01:24:49]** To wrap this up for now. **[01:24:52]** Don't go anywhere yet. **[01:24:55]** We'd really appreciate it, **[01:24:58]** if you could give us feedback through the slide, **[01:25:01]** on how you liked the lecture. **[01:25:04]** Five stars means, **[01:25:07]** that you liked it. **[01:25:10]** There will also be a question, **[01:25:13]** asking you about a word, **[01:25:16]** that somehow came to mind based on the lecture, **[01:25:19]** so we'd be very grateful. **[01:25:23]** What I consider important, **[01:25:26]** and actually the reflection has been going on since the start, **[01:25:29]** is that we always really like to do circle discussions after the reflection. **[01:25:32]** That means, I encourage you in your companies, **[01:25:35]** wherever you are, in libraries, or just, **[01:25:38]** when you get home, try to talk about this topic. **[01:25:41]** And maybe even better, try to listen more, **[01:25:44]** when someone else is speaking based on today's advice. **[01:25:47]** We will continue the discussion after Christmas, on January 10th. **[01:25:51]** We have a few guests. **[01:25:56]** Irča, who is here and already blushing, **[01:25:59]** will be part of the discussion. **[01:26:02]** Lukáš Hána, Lenka Vašková, and many, many others. **[01:26:05]** So if this makes sense to you and you'd like to dive deeper, **[01:26:08]** ask questions, **[01:26:11]** or maybe share how it worked out for you, **[01:26:14]** and join the evening table, come on January 10th at 4 PM. **[01:26:17]** And maybe a magician will come too. **[01:26:22]** Red Button has many projects. **[01:26:25]** One of them is the book of the month, **[01:26:28]** so definitely mark November. **[01:26:34]** Please remind you that in November, when you talked about that billionaire, **[01:26:37]** Jozef Holý from Karák in Síť recommended it in November, **[01:26:40]** and he recommended it from the perspective of someone who would, I feel, like it. **[01:26:45]** So check out this video if you're interested. **[01:26:48]** And otherwise, great work there from Váda Hanka Jadavan, **[01:26:51]** the book of the month, and generally living with books. **[01:26:54]** Follow us on EDUtéka. **[01:26:57]** In January, we continue and again a guest from Slovakia will come, **[01:27:02]** Lukáš Bakoš will show us how incredibly painful it is to educate yourself, **[01:27:09]** and that it's not exactly fun and games. **[01:27:12]** I'm looking forward to that lecture, I've seen some already, **[01:27:15]** and it's very good, so if you want to learn, **[01:27:18]** and after all, we talked about it today too, **[01:27:21]** come on January 18th at 8:30, and now I'll give you one more word, **[01:27:28]** and we'll raise a glass here. **[01:27:31]** So, thank you. Thank you very much. **[01:27:34]** Because Brain&Breakfast is ending its eleventh year **[01:27:37]** and entering its twelfth year, which is great. **[01:27:40]** And twelve is my favorite number. **[01:27:43]** So I wanted to ask you if you could wish us something, **[01:27:46]** please, for the new year. **[01:27:49]** I would probably wish people to have at least some time for themselves. **[01:27:58]** Because I have the feeling after at least the last three years, **[01:28:04]** that we live in a world where everything seems to be slipping through our hands, **[01:28:14]** and finding some solid ground is getting harder. **[01:28:20]** So that the bridges to those closest to us remain strong, **[01:28:25]** so we know how to build on them and create future stability **[01:28:31]** in our own lives and in theirs. **[01:28:35]** And I want to wish them to always be able to feel their own worth. **[01:28:45]** Because I feel that the world is pressing us a bit now, **[01:28:50]** and we start doubting and worrying about ourselves. **[01:28:54]** And to know how to stop for a moment and say, **[01:29:00]** that I am still somehow a contribution to this universe. **[01:29:03]** We can hug someone, make someone laugh, **[01:29:06]** or teach someone something, or at least support them. **[01:29:09]** This is becoming increasingly important, so I wish people **[01:29:13]** to have as many of these moments as possible in 2024. **[01:29:17]** Thank you very much. Cheers. Cheers. **[01:29:27]** Thanks. Have a great time. **[01:29:29]** You can raise your glass here and enjoy a nice Christmas. **[01:29:33]** Happy holidays to you all. Bye and see you. **[01:29:36]** I'm signing off. Thank you for your attention.