EP #18 | Relevance & Communication | Dan Sperber
From Cognitations by Jay Richardson and Tanay Katiyar
November 28, 2025 · 1h 26m · Season 2 · Episode 18
About this episode
Dan Sperber discusses the invisible forces that guide communication and the impact of relevance theory on various fields.
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 Richardson Editing: Jay Richardson Communication: Tanay…
People in this episode
Hosts: Thomas Beuchot, Jay Richardson, Tanay Katiyar
Guest: Dan Sperber
Topics covered
- communication
- cognitive anthropology
- cultural evolution
- linguistics
- psychology
Keywords
- communication
- cognitive anthropology
- relevance theory
- cultural evolution
- linguistics
- psychology
Sponsors
The European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: relevance theory
More episodes of Cognitations
- EP #22 | Religion as Make-Believe | Neil Van Leeuwen · May 8, 2026 · 1h 15m
- EP #21 | Human Innovation in the AI Age | Bret Beheim · April 9, 2026 · 59 min
- EP # 20 | Are Attractiveness Preferences Universal? | Lynda Boothroyd · February 27, 2026 · 1h 12m
- EP #19 | The Social Lives of Our Ancestors | Manvir Singh · February 5, 2026 · 1h 1m
- EP #17 | The Anthropology of Leisure Time | Mark Dyble · June 27, 2025 · 54 min
- EP #16 | What do Auditory Illusions Reveal about the Brain? | Daniel Pressnitzer · May 30, 2025 · 1h 5m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Cognitations podcast page.