This means that intellectually humble people may be more likely to recognize that a persuader’s arguments are actually better than their own, and have to reconsider their views – which can pose a real risk to someone’s self-esteem.īut being open to other people’s reasons also increases the chance of their being open to yours – a form of reciprocity in which you take turns learning from each other. In fact, some studies suggest that intellectual humility makes people better able to evaluate the strength of arguments. Instead, respect demands actively seeking out truth in what the other person says. Even someone encountering a person whose opinion seems obviously wrong, Kant wrote, has “a duty … to suppose that his judgment must yet contain some truth and to seek this out.” This isn’t merely a suggestion to listen to people one wants to persuade. Culture Club/Hulton Archive via Getty Images Kant’s ideas about respect are still helpful for thinking through sticky situations today. This is especially hard for persuaders, since they have to give up some of the time they would have used to make their case. The second component of respectful persuasion, however, is much more challenging: being open to receiving the other side’s reasons – a form of intellectual humility. Giving reasons is not difficult by itself. The rational support that good reasons provide for a belief can make that belief more stable. For example, someone who comes to believe in climate change based on the scientific evidence probably will not be as easily swayed later on by repeated exposure to climate skepticism. Manipulation can be effective, but psychologists have found that persuasion using reasons is more durable than nonrational persuasion such as repetition-based tricks. When we sincerely give someone reasons, we show respect for their rationality: their ability to recognize good reasons.īy contrast, a hallmark of manipulation is bypassing rationality, such as repeatedly exposing people to false statements to make them appear true – something that psychologists call the “ illusory truth effect.” For example, astronauts’ pictures of a round Earth rationally support the belief that the Earth is round. My students and I have found that these factors increase the chances of deep, meaningful conversation.īroadly speaking, reasons are considerations that rationally support some belief or action, including both empirical evidence and abstract arguments. However, some philosophers see crucial hints in the work of 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant, whose theory of respect has guided many ethicists and policymakers for the past two centuries.ĭrawing on Kant’s work, and that of other philosophers inspired by him, I think we can isolate three key components of respectful persuasion. There’s no simple formula for respectful persuasion. But what is respectful persuasion, and what distinguishes it from disrespectful manipulation? Moreover, many of them want to persuade with integrity: They want to engage the people they’re talking with respectfully, instead of using the manipulative tricks they regularly see in politics and marketing. My students are eager to find ways to persuade their friends, family and neighbors about political issues such as climate change and abortion. I’m a philosopher who studies and teaches the ethics of persuasion. All for good reason: Even a little political persuasion in the next year could change the course of history. The 2024 presidential election is still a year and a half away, but it can feel much closer: President Joe Biden has made his reelection bid official, presumed candidates are giving out-of-state speeches, pundits are already weighing in on nomination hopefuls, and social media is, as ever, a mess of people trying to persuade strangers to back their favorite.
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