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The Art of Living

On Listening

Massimo Pigliucci hears from Plutarch.

A good case can be made that we talk (or write) too much, and listen (or read) too little. It comes naturally, these days, to blame social media, mainstream media, an epidemic of attention deficit disorder, and what not, for this problem. It turns out, however, that we may need to put at least some of the blame on human nature itself, since it’s an old problem. Just read the following:

“I am of the opinion that listening ought to be a constant topic of discussion in one’s own mind and with other people. This is especially so because it is noticeable that most people go about the matter in the wrong way: they practice speaking before they have got used to listening, and they think that speaking takes study and care, but benefit will accrue from even a careless approach to listening… It is said [by Zeno the Stoic] that Nature gave each of us two ears, but one tongue, because we should listen more than we speak”
(On Listening, p.

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