Right, but at least in the nonpolitical context I wouldn’t assume conscious intent without very clear evidence of it. The greatest fallacy is assuming to know what people are actually thinking, without them saying it. People tend to vastly overestimate their insight into other people’s minds.
Humans talking to each other in a business setting (I'm assuming nobody in this thread is talking about casual conversations that happen outside of work) is inherently political. You are either positioning or being a passive onlooker. If a conversation is only filled with the latter then nothing can possibly get accomplished (which, to be fair, is not an uncommon outcome for a meeting).
> The greatest fallacy is assuming to know what people are actually thinking, without them saying it
Assuming everything people say is what they think seems to be an even greater fallacy, but I am going to choose not to turn it into a superlative.
I guess my experience with work conversations is different from yours. I wouldn’t characterize them as political. As far as “positioning” goes, you’re always positioning yourself in one way or other, in any kind of conversation, similar to how one can’t not communicate.
