Ruth Grant's 'The Ethics of Talk': Summary and Review

Jose Rodriguez
9-11-10
CLS 101
Ethics of Talk
In the “Ethics of Talk: Classroom Conversation and Democratic Politics,” by Ruth Grant, a certain quote seemed to draw my attention. “Can talking make people better? “ In my opinion, I feel that yes, and no. The reason why I say yes is because if the right person is talking, he or she can get their point across in a conversation. Also, being able to communicate effectively to one another is vital in understanding other people. Talking gives us the opportunity to get our point across or to be able to speak in an average conversation. Talking also gives us the chance to learn and teach. To be able to talk well is a very powerful thing. For instance, being able to talk well, and have people listen is an important aspect of being a leader.
The reason I say no is because if the wrong person is talking, then no one benefits from the conversation. In some cases, it can be used to control people or spread rumors, and in the case of Socrates in “Plato,” can do a person great harm. To me, talking doesn’t make a person bad or better, but it defines their character.
Another passage I found intriguing was the way Grant talked about how “the capacity for conversation develops over time.” I like this passage because I feel that we can all relate to what the author is trying to get across. When we are young, we can barely stop talking, but as we grow older, we tend to lose the usage of long conversation because our lives have become busier. I feel that being able to talk to one another once in a while can be healthy for us. What I mean by healthy is that talking to people, interacting with one another, can help us become more closer to people . To me, talking is powerful if done right.