A Failed Dialogue? Revisiting the 1975 Meeting of Gregory Bateson and Carl Rogers

This study of the 1975 public 'dialogue' between Gregory Bateson and Carl Rogers shows that, far from 'talking past each other' in a '.asco' of misunderstanding and 'debate' that some (including Bateson and Rogers) have taken it for, the two men accomplished at least two of the important functions of dialogue: extending common ideas in new directions and distinguishing signi.cant and realistic differences. Bateson, in particular, clari.ed his use of context and provided a number of insightful examples of this important concept.