Transformative conversation in the light of interwoven metaphors

Transforming the Art of Conversation (Part #11)

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Dynamics of "light": As discussed previously, it could be considered extraordinary the degree to which reliance is placed on optical metaphors in "envisaging" the future (Metaphor and the Language of Futures, 1992). Whilst metaphors based on the other senses are in use, notably in political discourse, strategic articulation is not credible when based metaphorically on "touch", "feel", "taste", or "smell" -- possibly the preference of an "alien" for whom the "stench" of a strategy might be unbearable.

There is therefore a case for exploring the role of "light" in human conversation -- especially given that the conversation may be considered "brilliant" and "enlightened", offering a hopeful "light at the end of a tunnel" of some crisis. Even though it may be framed more generally in terms of electromagnetic radiation, it is of course the case that "light" is fundamental to understandings offered by cosmologists of the nature and dynamics of the universe inhabited by humanity.

Rather than focus specifically on the "poetry" of conversation, through the versification which may indeed enhance memorability and delight, more may be achieved through exploring the implicit "light" of connectivity -- exploring "how the light moves", understood both as indicative of the light of comprehension, and more subtly (cf. Circulation of the Light: essential metaphor of global sustainability? 2010).

The implications may then reinforce insight into the dynamics of cybernetic connectivity and how transformative conversation is envisaged and sustained dynamically. Especially valuable would be how imagination -- with its optical connotations -- is enabled and engaged through a confluence of understandings with those embodied in movement (dance), as reinforced by the aesthetics of musical harmony (and the possibilities of creative variations).

Initially the process could then be to exploit the range of prefixes of "verse" (as detailed above) -- in terms of their relevance to the movement of light in optical systems. In effect the question is in how many ways the movement of light can be transformed from the linearity of its conventional mode? It is a quest for the generic possibilities of transformation, as might be readily comprehensible (rather than how that range might be articulated mathematically). Examples might then include:

• converse, as in changing from one form to another, including turning around, especially as in the conversion to a new pattern -- contrasting recognizably with the old, if not its opposite
• reverse, as in return to a former condition or position, namely turning back with respect to the current direction.
• transverse (or traverse), as in movement crossing another, orthogonally -- even blocking it
• inverse (including everse), as in turning upside down or inside out.
• obverse, as in the side which is the reverse of the reverse side (perhaps best understood as the "obvious" side)

Variety of transformations: The pattern of comprehensible transformations could be fruitfully extended through dance (as indicated by the animations above), transpositions of key (as in musical variations), and familiar optical illusions (mirages, etc). In this spirit it is appropriate to note the pattern of 16 fundamental "archetypal morphologies" in the figure below, and discussed separately (Archetypal morphologies, 2012), as identified by topologist Rene Thom. Of specific relevance are the "metaphorical" terms, by which he briefly describes the nature of each.

Archetypal morphologies from Rene Thom (Structural Stability and Morphogenesis: an outline of a general theory of models, 1972)

The suggested approach is then to interweave, as appropriate, several metaphorical patterns offering insights into transformation:

• the various ways in which light can be manipulated by optical systems, most notably with the use of mirrors and lens -- and the possibility of creating "illusions". The argument has been developed separately (Patterning Archetypal Templates of Emergent Order: implications of diamond faceting for enlightening dialogue, 2002)
• the many well-explored ways in which musical harmony can be transformed, through variations and transposition of key
• the possibilities of transformation of relationships elaborated in different styles of dance
• the insights offered by the systematic analysis of dramatic plots of various kinds, understood as transformations of relationships, such as that of Georges Polti (The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, 1916) who endeavoured to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance -- building on the earlier work of Carlo Gozzi. (see separate discussion Taxonomies of dramatic situations, 2009).

Presumably these transformations could be rendered abstractly, as suggested by the archetypal morphologies of Rene Thom (Structural Stability and Morphogenesis: an outline of a general theory of models, 1972). This would suggest the use of other general systems, cybernetics, and mathematic tools to elicit a more comprehensive range of transformations. These might then include those envisaged above by cosmologists in relation to "universe".

Interweaving these understandings of transformation enables the integration of other processes (well-explored in drama, as widely experienced daily through the media), namely controverse and perverse -- in their relation to diverse, multiverse, and universe.

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