Generation of conversation to achieve a goal

A method of generating a first conversation, the method comprising:

• using a processor to perform acts comprising:
• receiving source material containing a plurality of second conversations;
• using a pluggable component to divide said second conversations into fragments and to index said fragments;
• storing indexed fragments of said second conversations in a database;
• receiving a first goal for said first conversation;
• from indexed fragments stored in said database, creating or retrieving a travesty that represents a portion of said first conversation that moves a current state of said first conversation closer to said first goal, said travesty satisfying a merit criterion calculated by a pluggable merit function;
• and
• providing said portion of said first conversation to a user as a conversational prompt.

A device for generating a conversation, the device comprising:

• a memory;
• a processor;
• a database;
• and
• a component that is stored in said memory, that executes on said processor, that receives a first goal for said conversation, that uses conversations stored in said database to create or retrieve a travesty that represents a portion of said conversation that moves a current state of said conversation closer to said first goal, said conversations comprising actual conversations or sample conversations, said travesty satisfying a merit criterion calculated by a pluggable merit function, said device providing said portion of said conversation to a user as a conversational prompt.