Communication and argumentation - workshop No. 1

On Friday I travelled to Brno to participate on a seminar "Communication and argumentation". The lecturer was ThMgr (Master of Theology) Milan Klapetek.

The seminar was labeled with number 1, meaning there is another one following. Meanwhile the first part was theoretical, during the second seminar practical stuff is performed. I knew about this significant difference, so I was neither surprised nor disappointed as several of the attendants were because of a huge amount of theory.

The seminar lasted from 8 am to 5 pm. The whole programme was divided into several blocks separated by coffee-brakes. Thanks to those and chiefly thanks to a low-pitched pleasant voice of the lecturer were the information we received much more acceptable. All the participants found on their tables materials and a textbook, where the theory was explained and summarized.

To put it straight, the seminar was great! No, I am not striving to become a poet - it just came to my mind. :) What we were listening to the whole day, was not really "how to pronounce perfectly" or "what is a structure of a superb speech" ... we got rather a philosophical background of the Talking, of the communication. The lecturer told us a short history of rhetoric, I found extremely interesting, when he was explaining the four different influential schools, that formed the European way of thinking. We were told, what forms our opinions and what actually happens, when the different ones are crossed.

The personal philosophy of Mr. Klapetek was very familiar to me. And it was not only once, when I caught the thoughts and ideas racing in my head. Perhaps: are Czech people very democratic or do they rather have a problem with authorities??

Nevertheless, there was one serious crossing of our opinions. Mr. Klapetek was explaining that sometimes we just don't want or we actually cannot say the real reason of our actions, so we simply ... yes, we tell lies. As an example he used the situation, when the Czech pharmacists are against allowing the selling of some medicines (he was namely mentioning the Aspirin) in casual shops. He thinks they say it is because of the patient's health, meanwhile they don't want to loose some of the incomes.

Well, the pharmacist in myself has to disagree! Aspirin contains the acetylsalicylic acid. It has analgesic (alleviates the pain), antipyretic (lowers the fever) and anti-inflammatory effects. In small dosage, it works as a antiagregans (dilutes the blood). It is not unknown, that in case such a substance was revealed today, it wouldn't very probably pass the demanding clinical tests. However, this acid is a very traditional and old medicine (it was already Hippokrates, who recommended the willow tree bark (which contains a very similar substance) to relieve the pains), and that is the reason, why it has been used until now.

 
http://www.zenyprozeny.cz/art/3707-aspirin-je-tu-uz-vice-nez-sto-let/

 
The acetylsalicylic acid has also a pretty long list of unwanted effects, it interacts with many other medicaments and it is prohibited for kids younger than 16 years. When wrongly used, it can cause stomach ulceration or even bleeding. It is completely inappropriate for asthmatics. And usually one of the worst thing one can do after a long alcoholic party, is give his/her irritated stomach one Aspirin. I could write about many other examples... The medicaments have to be under a pharmacists' supervision!

Well, excuse my short pharmaceutical note. :) This Friday I am attending the second communication course. And I will bring the report too.