When we give up on changing minds, when our democracies refuse to make people's lives materially better, we are asking for the king to come back. This notion that persuasion isn't possible or isn't worth our effort is just on its face empirically false. And I refuse to accept that we can have a right-wing anti-democratic movement that wants to smash our freedoms and advocate political violence as a way of solving problems.
This is the third episode in a three-part series about how to have difficult conversations with people who see the world differently, how to have better debates about contentious issues, and how to ethically and scientifically persuade one another about things that matter – in short, this is a three-part series about How Minds Change (which is also the title of my new book).
There seems to be a movement afoot, a new wave of nonfiction about how to reduce all this argumentative madness and epistemic chaos. I want to boost everyone’s signal on this issue, so I thought it would be nice to collaborate instead of compete, since that’s part of what we are all proselytizing with these books.
So this episode’s guest is Anand Giridharadas, the author of The Persuaders – a book about activists, politicians, educators, and everyday citizens who are on the ground working to change minds, bridge divisions, and fight for democracy.
- How Minds Change
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