Conversation is a targeted exchange of information, belief, and intent. It is the primary tool agents use within the Social Arena to perceive, influence, or manipulate the internal world of another.

Conversation is a memetic and ideological battleground. It is the core mechanism by which Facts, Fictions, and Faiths are transmitted, challenged, and propagated through the social fabric of a Tapestry.

The Mechanics of Conversation

As an action within the turn-based Social Arena, conversation is a two-part process: the Assertion by the speaker and the Appraisal by the listener.

1. The Assertion: The Speaker’s Turn

On their turn, an agent can choose to make an Assertion or ask a Query. Every statement is composed of two parts:

• The Topic: The subject of the statement. An agent’s available topics are generated directly from its AgentMemoryStore and AgentBeliefStore. An agent can only speak about what it knows, remembers, or believes.
• The Rhetorical Frame: The style and intent of the delivery. The available frames are generated by the agent’s Psyche. Common frames include [Assert Logically], [Ask with Empathy], [Assert with Faith], or [Intimidate].

The combination of a Topic and a Frame forms the complete conversational action for that turn.

2. The Appraisal: The Listener’s Reception Filter

When an agent receives an Assertion, its CognitiveSystem does not evaluate the statement in a vacuum. It runs the information through a three-layered Reception Filter to determine its response. This appraisal dictates whether a new belief is formed, an old one is challenged, or the assertion is rejected entirely.

• Layer 1: The Social Filter (Perception of Being)

  • This is the first, instinctual layer. The listener’s Psyche perceives the speaker’s innate Social Tags. An agent with a [social:honorable] Psyche will be naturally receptive to a speaker who also projects [social:honorable], but immediately suspicious of one projecting [social:deceptive]. This provides an immediate bias to the interaction.

• Layer 2: The Trust Filter (Perception of History)

  • This layer evaluates the speaker’s known history and reputation. The listener queries its AgentBeliefStore for beliefs about the speaker (Joric IS_TRUSTWORTHY). These beliefs are formed from the listener’s Memory of the speaker’s past actions. A history of honesty makes new assertions more credible.

• Layer 3: The Rhetorical Filter (Perception of Argument)

  • This final layer evaluates the style of the argument itself. The listener’s own Psyche and beliefs determine its receptiveness to the Rhetorical Frame used. A hyper-logical [Construct] might be persuaded by a [Assert Logically] frame but dismiss an [Assert with Faith] frame as irrelevant noise.

The composite outcome of these three filters determines the success of the conversational turn, influencing the listener’s Disposition and potentially altering their core Beliefs.