Speaking Into The Air Analysis

In his book Speaking into the Air, John Durham Peters stages ‘a debate between the greatest proponent of dialogue, Socrates, and the most enduring voice for dissemination, Jesus (35). Plato’s Socrates believes in one-to-one and selective communication. Participating in a dialogue means communicating back and fourth so the receiver can ask questions and clarify meanings. Unlike oral communication, the written word is viewed as a sexual act and not private where the writer is active and the reader is passive. This results in the writer having control of the reader. In addition, “souls intertwined in reciprocity” (43), is an idea by Plato’s Socrates that is still relevant today. Peters explains reciprocity as an idea that does not only include the mixing of minds but also a form of physical beauty. While communicating on the same level is important, communication is more efficient when two people
Even though dissemination means the act of spreading something and making it known, it does not guarantee that people understand each other. While dialogue encourages people to engage in face-to-face dialogue to agree on certain ideas, dissemination leaves the audience guessing while interpreting something because there is a lack of interaction. An common example of dissemination is television as one is able to talk to the television screen but the television will not be able communicate back thus not accomplishing much. For Peters, communication can be accomplished even if it is only one way. Peter explains that one-way communication is not necessarily a bad thing (56). Even though dialogue seems like a better form of communication, Peters believes that reciprocity can be violent. He claims that violent acts such as war works on the basis of reciprocity just like a conversation so a dialogue can be as destructive as