A mathematician called Blaise Pascal wrote about the art of persuasion in one of his books. He was Italian and born in 1623. He wrote about math, theology, and other topics.
In his book, he broke persuasion down to simple terms:
“When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true, and admit that truth to him, but reveal to him the side on which it is false. He is satisfied with that, for he sees that he was not mistaken, and that he only failed to see all sides. Now, no one is offended at not seeing everything; but one does not like to be mistaken, and that perhaps arises from the fact that man naturally cannot see everything, and that naturally he cannot err in the side he looks at, since the perceptions of our senses are always true.”
Many of us have stubborn conservative friends or relatives. Getting them to see all sides of the issues is one way to try and convince them. Some of them won’t believe anything that isn’t Faux News, but we need to fight for our causes.
Here are some tips to try and convince them:
1. Give Them Your Point Of View
They may not listen, but it is important to try and get them to see your side of the issue. Try not to attack their point of view, no matter how stupid it may be. Also, in the case of Trump supporters, don’t talk about his appearance. He is a horribly ugly man, but the supporters will shut down if you start talking about his Oompa Loopa heritage.
2. Reason And Logic
Again, Fox News viewers may be a little weak in this department. Be the better debater and stick to rational arguments. No matter how many conspiracy theories they throw at you, stick to your guns.
3. Eloquence
On a similar vein, keep your conversation eloquent. Speak properly and logically. You may be extremely tempted to cuss, but refrain if possible. Being able to speak the truth eloquently will give you major class points.
Featured image by Julian Partridge via Flickr, available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
