Concluding Remarks Part II

Abstract

The chapters in Part II are connected by three main themes: Diderot, dialogue and translation. Diderot is discussed in terms of his exemplary force as a non-specialist, encyclopaedic intellectual. The importance of his contributions to an epistomology of skill and to an understanding of dialogue is stressed. The present chapter goes on to summarize the value of dialogue as a form which can tolerate incompatible perspectives in a way that deepens reflective understanding of why we have the beliefs we do. This has both political and educational consequences. Dialogue is presented as a basic form of democracy and as a crucial metaphor for understanding the nature of skills. The discussion of translation extends these themes, giving, an example of the relationship between identity and skill, both for the translator of texts, and for the other kinds of “translation” involved in acting. These are issues which are contributing to the development of an international PhD programme in Culture and Technology.