As a species, the human’s awareness of consciousness is entirely cerebral. Neuronal structures and pathways are created through experience, which, in turn, determines future action, thoughts, and emotions. In a sense, we are defined strictly by our past experiences and those of them our mind has deemed “important.” This importance can come through emotional attachment (stimulation of amygdala), sheer repetition (those wired together fire together à the idea of pushing synapses over threshold), or embedded instinctive qualities.
Following this point of view, it is necessary to define the purpose of life. The first and foremost purpose is, in fact, life itself. There is no ulterior motive to our existence, no requirement to help others are lead “fulfilling” lives, only to be. The logical step beyond this is then that a good life is one that maximizes pleasure or happiness. The beauty of this blanket statement is that it effectively takes into account the relativity and subjectivity associated which differentiates individuals. For some, providing humanitarian aid or extreme selflessness gives them pleasure and self-satisfaction. For others, achieving a high score in a video game or playing sports provides the same level of pleasure. That being said, there are universal, biological habits that are highlighted based on satisfaction including sex and satiation of hunger. Maximizing personal success in life is directly correlated with maximizing pleasure.
A metaphorical parallel that can be drawn with the aforementioned concepts is one involving the game of poker. While most people automatically discard the game as gambling, others consider it a game of skill where long-term winnings are based on long-term probabilities such that the best players, although possible to lose in some games, will eventually end up on top and ensure positive returns. To further highlight the skill aspect of the game, I have heard some professional players say that if they can read people well enough they can play without even looking at their cards. Their bets are chosen based on the respective probabilities associated with the cards on the table and the bets of the other players. If one can know what cards the other players at the table have, the luck aspect of the game is eliminated as he or she has a clear advantage. In life, like with poker, knowing what metaphorical “cards” people are playing gives a huge advantages and allows a person to make their best “play.” As morbid as it seems, getting ahead in life is pretty much straight up manipulation. Those that are able to manipulate or hack the system of society make the best decisions for themselves and automatically give themselves advantages in any situation. Therefore, it goes to show that mastery of the abilities to read people and manipulate situations are arguably the most important. One sub-discipline that aggregates these ideas is conversation, the primary focus of this emerging social science.
As a social science of sorts, Conversation Geometry is largely, if not entirely, centered around social interaction. Social interaction can be achieved in many ways whether it be body language, physical touch, or verbal communication. In each case, however, there exists an underlying base of conversation. Conversation by this definition could then be a simple nod to someone across the room, a high five in passing, or a discussion of a new study over a meal. A strong grasp and understanding of conversation nuances will lead to more effective conveyance of information as well as increases in general satisfaction and pleasure. Imagine if every time you meet someone you can stimulate interesting conversation and make everyone involved happy. Conversation geometry focuses specifically on how physical properties affect and determine social interactions. This ranges from the orientation of seating at a table to how you arrange your own body language in relation to others. As you can imagine, there are seemingly countless sub-levels that contribute to conversation geometry. Hopefully, through open discussion and contribution, these sub-levels can eventually be identified and utilized for everyone’s benefit.
-- jhavster
