EPISODE · Nov 28, 2025 · 1H 26M
EP #18 | Relevance & Communication | Dan Sperber
from Cognitations · host Jay Richardson and Tanay Katiyar
Conversations shape nearly every aspect of our lives. We joke, argue, persuade, gossip, and comfort—all through spoken and unspoken signals we barely even notice. Yet behind every casual chat, awkward silence, or global debate is an invisible force that guides our words and meanings, silently helping us figure out exactly what to say next. How do we instinctively know what matters in a conversation? How do we effortlessly connect, even with strangers? And why do certain symbols or stories captivate us across cultures? Dan Sperber is a renowned French cognitive anthropologist, social scientist, and philosopher whose groundbreaking work has transformed fields from linguistics and cognitive science to anthropology and philosophy. Alongside linguist Deirdre Wilson, he developed relevance theory, an influential approach to communication and cognition that has impacted linguistics, artificial intelligence, and psychology. His work on cultural evolution, notably the epidemiology of representations, introduced innovative methods for studying how ideas spread and evolve across societies.Credits:Interview: Thomas Beuchot and Jay RichardsonEditing: Jay RichardsonCommunication: Tanay KatiyarMusic: Thelma Samuel and Robin BaradelArtwork: Ella BergruThis episode is sponsored by the The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA)
What this episode covers
Conversations shape nearly every aspect of our lives. We joke, argue, persuade, gossip, and comfort—all through spoken and unspoken signals we barely even notice. Yet behind every casual chat, awkward silence, or global debate is an invisible force that guides our words and meanings, silently helping us figure out exactly what to say next. How do we instinctively know what matters in a conversation? How do we effortlessly connect, even with strangers? And why do certain symbols or stories captivate us across cultures? Dan Sperber is a renowned French cognitive anthropologist, social scientist, and philosopher whose groundbreaking work has transformed fields from linguistics and cognitive science to anthropology and philosophy. Alongside linguist Deirdre Wilson, he developed relevance theory, an influential approach to communication and cognition that has impacted linguistics, artificial intelligence, and psychology. His work on cultural evolution, notably the epidemiology of representations, introduced innovative methods for studying how ideas spread and evolve across societies.Credits:Interview: Thomas Beuchot and Jay RichardsonEditing: Jay RichardsonCommunication: Tanay KatiyarMusic: Thelma Samuel and Robin BaradelArtwork: Ella BergruThis episode is sponsored by the The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association (EHBEA)
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EP #18 | Relevance & Communication | Dan Sperber
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