What is a conversation?

This question follows our first Wit & Wisdom of the year, where John Nygaard and Seth Tichenor revisited a conversation they first presented in 2019 about what conversation asks of us, and what gets harder when the world around us grows more divided.

For Scoundrels, we’re looking at the foundation of the question. What actually makes something a conversation?

Is it different from debate, instruction, argument, chatter, gossip or two people waiting for their turn to speak? Do any of those distinctions matter or are they just a bunch of names for the same thing with different flavors? Does conversation require a particular type of relationship? Is there some condition that has to be in place prior to talking?

This week, Scoundrels turns its attention toward the thing Scoundrels spends so much time doing.