Advice for Changing Someone's Mind: Listen and Understand Their Perspective

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To change someone's mind, it is important to listen and truly understand their perspective. Arguing or trying to use logic alone will not work if someone's beliefs are not based on reasoning. Inherited beliefs or those arrived at without logic cannot be challenged with logic. Instead, engaging in a conversation to understand how they came to their beliefs can provide an opportunity to offer a different viewpoint. By understanding how they see the world, it becomes easier to empathize and find common ground. People generally believe they are acting rationally and doing good things, so approaching conversations with empathy is essential.

When Kevin Kelly turned 68 years old, he began writing down notes and thoughts about all the lessons he’d learned in his life and the ones he wished he’d learned earlier. While those notes were originally intended for his young adult children, they eventually became the book Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier, which was released in May 2023. On this episode of the Knowledge Project, Kelly goes in-depth on some of the book’s most essential lessons, including learning, setting deadlines, perfection, forgiveness, living a meaningful life, reasoning, and so much more. Kelly is the co-founder of the magazine Wired, which twice won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence while he served as publication’s Executive Editor during the 1990s. He is also the co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking, as well as the founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. He is also an artist as well as the author of 14 books.

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