John: Susan and I have a lot in common.
Susan: I disagree.

This is like a discussion between the heart and the mind

It is extremely disappointing that discussions such as this are extremely rare today. Intelligent, thoughtful, respectful and extremely compelling.❤️

I have been an enormous admirer of both Sontag and Berger for many years. Sontag was a veritable obsession for me when I was in college--I read everything I could find by or about her. I've even read her posthumously published journals and notebooks, which are, in my estimation, her finest writing (which is ironic, because she never planned for anyone to see them). One thing I've noticed in this discussion with John Berger (whom I also admire) that I never noticed before and which sheds some light on several aspects of Sontag's work (and, indeed, her life), is that she is an incredibly literal-minded person--she takes things for their propositional value, rather than for their associational intensity. Makes one wonder why she became a literary artist rather than an analytic philosopher.

The way they each listen when the other is talking is absolutely mesmerizing.

Back then: Two people discussing and listening to each other

2021 listeners: "Oh, two people are discussing, I must pick one of them to hate"

Sontag: academic, measured prose, trained in ways of looking.
Berger: Passionate, alive, affectionate, intuitive and hence a story teller.

This is certainly a rarity in this soundbite world

Sontag is great in ways of looking as Berger is remarkable in ways of seeing.

2 years ago I sided with the facts of Susan, now I side with the truths of John. But thinking and feeling make a hell of a team!
Thanks to all people involved in the creation of this beautiful piece of humanity, I will come back in the years to come.

By the way, if anyone knows of any other conversation like this one, please tell.

This is the sexiest thing to have happened in human history

Berger might as well have written "Ways of Listening"...  He is one of the most profound listeners I've ever witnessed.  I've never seen a listener better able to bring out the best in a discussant. See his conversation, too , with Michael Silverblatt.

I bought a book “To tell a story” based on this conversation and now I’m hooked!

"to establish the rights of intensity" SO HOT

This feels like a clashing between the continental and the analytical filosofer

He's blowing artistic bubbles, and she's sharp as a needle.

Best opening sequence ever. The world has moved on since then, today we 're trapped in our media hacked fragmented narrations  but a lot here, remains relevant. Not sure what tho. People had a lot more time then. It wasn't so urgent to be incredibly precise and fast. This was all before Matrix!

The intensity of attention, the sincerity, and great respect for different possibilities in this conversation is so moving. Love Susan Sontag!

sontag can figure it all out! brilliant mind! and a
great complement to  berger's  imagination!

people had patience back then .. story .. shepherd .. love...alas now it's 60 second instagram trash.
Thank you for sharing this amazing conversation.