HuffPo's "Two Minutes of Wisdom" series includes this short video of Krista Tippett, host of NPR's"On Being," on the subject of listening. Tippett and/or NPR isn't everyone's bag, but I thought she expressed succinctly something I'm often trying to explain to myself and my students:
[L]istening entails vulnerability....requires a willingness, even a longing, to understand the other....
I can't claim to be a particularly good listener myself. Heck, Tippett's soporific voice and ooey-gooey vibe usually make me fall asleep...not listen. But still, I think she's getting at one of the tools we need in order to engage deeply with ideas. When I hear something in a seminar discussion or read an idea in someone else's work, and I find myself reacting to it as especially "wrong," then perhaps that should be my clue to open up my ears (and mind) and listen more carefully. At points of disagreement, we experience our biggest opportunity to learn. Otherwise, the academy can be a homophonous chamber...right?
Listening is a good way to learning.
Posted by: Mac keylogger | August 09, 2011 at 04:08 AM
The most overlooked part of the Socratic method is listening.
Posted by: Eugene Pekar | August 10, 2011 at 12:41 PM