From Ancient Greece to Enlightened Paris — Why Today’s Societies and Organizations Need Collective Intelligence to Thrive
For centuries, gatherings of individuals: artists, philosophers, scientists have had many interpretations and settings. From large-scale entrepreneurial think tanks to small social circles, connectedness has always lead to an enrichment of society — especially if there was an opportunity for cross-pollination and the opportunity to introduce difference by way of opinion, experience, and expertise.
At DIALOGUE, we are bringing together an extraordinary network to help design experiences of human connection for the world’s leading organizations and brands. In shaping insights, tying intention to strategy, and enabling ‘human-to-human’ as the foundation of business, DIALOGUE helps companies gain a competitive advantage for their most critical priorities.
The inspiration for DIALOGUE draws from a passion for collective thinking, the opportunity for reflection and the potential for vulnerability through the creation of conversational space.
The gathering of great minds began in cafes…
Thinking back to the 17th and 18th centuries and the world changing Parisian philosophical movements that began at the cusp of political debate, social status, poetic meaning, and the height of enlightenment. The French Revolution and the decidedly removed central court was sparked by members of the bourgeoisie coming together in cafes, known as salons.
A salon was a social gathering with the intent of great discussion and sharing of ideas. Salons were hosted by an inspirational individual; moderated by a central figure of thought. With highly curated guest lists, every member in attendance contributed some perspective or had impact on the subject. Salons were the coming together of the greatest of minds of the time. The influential appeal of these discussions provided for the intersection of creativity, divergent thinking, and oftentimes — discourse and debate.
These robust social gatherings were also opportunities for the women of French society to leverage their brilliant minds. Women often mediated the discussions and inspired the contexts and content of salons, establishing an enormous influence on societal progress and demonstrating the unique capacity to convene, for purpose. Many historians believe the construct of salons at this time was an “informal university for women,” an opportunity for women to engage in and demonstrate their capacity for impactful conversation.[1] These gatherings hosted a wide array of topics, from poetry and prose to politics.
The salons of France were not the only powerful culminations of great minds. Prior to this great minds of literary, artistic, musical, and philosophical background came together in Ancient Greece. The emancipation of German-speaking Jews in the 19th century led to an egalitarian meeting-ground in salon-inspired gatherings. Gertrude Stein held salons in Paris with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway in attendance as recently as the 1940s. Stein’s home became a place that, with the help of her partner Alice and inspiration from art by the likes of Matisse, created “confluences of talent.”[2]
Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher revered as a major player in modern philosophical thought wrote of dinner parties in his work, Anthropology. Here, he made many observations of human behavior at this type of social gathering, from attire to libations, ultimately arriving at a key point — the intellectual stimulation in conversations at these dinner parties was, to Kant, a “refreshing play of thoughts.”[3] He discussed the power of lively and engaging conversation, especially on highly-regarded topics. Even more interesting, Kant made the observation that the choice of guests contributed greatly to the impact of these conversations. They brought together minds that revealed the four temperaments of his Anthropology works, and how the strengths and qualities of the guests played to richer dialogue.
Great discourse has been seen across all walks of human life over the years. It has established an undeniable truth — gathering the greatest of minds leads to a compelling level of impact.
…So what does ancient salon-style dialogue mean for modern business?
Since the advent of cellphones, the internet, and group messenger apps, we have drifted far from the once rich salon conversation. Contemporary society is more productive and connected than ever. The change-makers of the world, founders of the most admired organizations, and industry influencers are all within reach of a Tweet, Snap or Facebook/LinkedIn message. That said, how do we evoke a spirit of a human experience in businesses of today and not lose ourselves in the constructs of messenger apps and virtual conferences? Through real-time dialogue.
DIALOGUE started in 2014 as a pop-up ThinkTank with the sole purpose to bring together thought leaders across design, business, and arts & sciences to explore and create tangible, relevant ways to spark innovation, unleash human potential, and harness untapped intelligence for maximum impact.
Our approach to enabling ‘collective intelligence’ to guide our client’s strategy and impact their ROI, follows these four principles:
Inquiry & Insight — What is top of mind for the company?
Curation & Experience Design — Who might be best engaged to enable the greatest measurable impact?
Amplify & Activate — How can that impact best be deployed? Who needs to be involved?
Create Visibility & Impact — Which opportunities are best pursued, how and when?
By deepening the understanding of potential impact, we make the invisible visible. Through dialogue, we create conditions for authenticity, guide distinct points of view to push boundaries, and drive actions and decisions for ultimate impact.
These powerful unions, from 17th Century salons to the discourse we facilitate at DIALOGUE, comes from the intentional construct of the gathering of great minds. It produces tangibility in the unseen — the words between us, the human element. In the days of immediacy and insincerity behind keyboards and touchscreens, we owe it to the potential of human connectivity to bring back the influential power of brilliant minds in dialogue.
DIALOGUE is a San Francisco-based agency, focused on helping companies gain a competitive advantage by designing experiences of human connection.
Photo credit: Vinobosh Photography
Literary works cited:
[1] Prendergast, A. (n.d.). Literary salons across Britain and Ireland in the long eighteenth century.
[2] Kuhl, N., & Kellner, B. (n.d.). Extravagant Crowd | Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas. Retrieved from http://brbl-archive.library.yale.edu/exhibitions/cvvpw/gallery/steintoklas1.html
[3] Cohen, A. (2008). The Ultimate Kantian Experience: Kant on Dinner Parties. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 25(4), 315–336.
