Part of our work at Sophia is examining how dialogues between us take place. We are interested in creating fruitful dialogues focused more on the “how” than the “what.”

We wish to nurture a spirit of collective inquiry. This spirit can be brought into every discussion no matter the topic. The most valuable outcomes of such dialogues are not the conclusions and ideas that arise, but the open exploration and growth that comes from it.

This process of ‘problem solving’ isn’t original to us. It has been handed down from ancient tribal communities. Many philosophers have talked about dialogue, being Socrates one of the most famous. Physicist David Bohm published a work titled ‘On Dialogue’, inspired by his own dialogues with another philosopher, J. Krishnamurti.

More recently, some modern ‘influencers’ have been trying to describe how group dynamics take place and what mechanisms distort the communication: Guy Sengstock, Daniel Smachtenberger, Jamie Whale, or Charles Eisenstein; to name a few. We don’t necessarily agree with what they say, but find this conversation absolutely necessary.

Our dialogues attempt to summon a collective intelligence that is more than the sum of our individual intellects. In the spirit of inquiry and exploration, our opinions on the matters discussed have very little importance. It is more about what happens to the individual and collective mind during the process. The state of a brain that is simply relaying information is radically different from the one that is exploring the depths of the unknown. This type of inquiry pushes us past the boundaries of the individual mind into a vast interconnected intelligence that is far superior to our default modes of operating and perceiving.

We are tapping into the ability of the nervous system to go beyond its default states of perception and information aggregation. As Einstein said: “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."

By revealing our biases, exposing the subtle ways in which the brain exploits interactions for hits of dopamine, and removing dualistic concepts like ‘good’ and ‘bad’; these dialogues open up a clear and honest inquiry. We examine how our values, ideas, and opinions act as barriers to neuroplasticity and growth.

Our dialogues are conducted without a goal to achieve or conclusion to be reached. There are many other details that can be very helpful, but each of them requires focused attention that will be discussed in separate articles.

We are still learning from this process in an attempt to create an atmosphere (both online and in-person) that facilitates this type of dialogue. We are merely explorers and cannot make any promises, but feel ready to open up our methods of investigation to more participants.

To broaden our reach and encourage collaboration, we are attempting to network with other collectives that may be interested in partnering with us, making use of our resources and assisting with improving them. We will also be trying to expand our online reach by opening up our style of discourse to others who may be interested or have something to contribute.