The Cognition of Conflict: Ontology, Dynamics, and Ideology - Conflict and Multimodal Communication: Social Research and Machine Intelligence - page 30

1.10 Concluding Remarks

My aim in this chapter was to give some hints about the complexity of the issue and
its foundations :

• Some of the basic aspects/notions of conflict theory requiring formalization,

• Relating the notion of conflict to goals (and to their processing) but disentangling

it from selfishness,

• Objective and subjective aspects of social conflicts and their relationships,

• Why and how cognition is relevant in resolving social conflicts.

I also tried to draw attention to our presumed and rather unconscious prejudice
against conflicts. Is or should human society be socially cohesive and demonstrate
solidarity or cooperation (Durkheim)? Or is society a matter of bellum omnium
contra omnes ? We explained why conflicts are a necessary expression of one and
the same foundation.
Conflicts are not just an obstacle, a breakdown, a malfunctioning of the mind,
of interpersonal relations, of society, of political power. Conflicts are physiological
and useful; they help to make society and individuals dynamic and even to reinforce
stability (the functions of conflicts).
The problem is: Which conflicts are dysfunctional and when are they such?

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