Conclusion
We have to see the different maps as answering different kinds of question, questions which arise from different angles in different contexts. … The plurality that results is still perfectly rational. It does not drop us into anarchy or chaos (Midgley, 2002, p. 82).
The conclusion to Robots and Communication is very short, because really Part III was designed to wrap up the arguments of the chapters, while also taking the opportunity to draw together and further extend some overarching themes. In the conclusion, my aim was to explain one way of envisioning how the use of a number of theories can be helpful in understanding communicative situations, without the need to value one theory over another. In doing this, I drew on Mary Midgley’s writing about scientific theories, which I had found very helpful as I grappled with the research that was the basis for the book.
