Friday's Class

Friday's class was particularly interesting. The reason is that, personally, I am very interested in the intricacies of argument and persuasion. Many people believe that by making a logical argument, they have swayed someone to their side; after all, it is logical. The arguer needs to understand that many people don't want to change their minds. It's not a pleasant thing to change your mind, especially about deeply held beliefs on personal topics, because it entails admitting you were wrong. Most people don't like admitting that they were wrong, especially when they see the person they are arguing against as an "enemy" or someone who has no empathy to their position. Think about it from your perspective, would you admit you were wrong to someone you don't particularly like, someone who undercut you with an argument and made no attempt to reconcile your feeling in the debate? In most cases, you will say no. This has incredible implications for persuasion, however. The arguer who is empathetic and able to reconcile the oppositions feelings, as well as look after their interests while attacking their position, can make great moves as far as getting others to come to their side.

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theorists are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they keep the people skeptical of conventional wisdom, and keep some degree of skepticism towards the government (which is a good thing, so long as we recognize the difference between healthy distrust and anarchy). On the other hand, some of these nut jobs blow things way out of proportion. In recent years, folks have gotten the idea that there is this group of powerful individuals that hang over our heads, and plot the destruction of all the poor and middle class individuals in their back room meetings. I'm here to tell you, that's not how it works. Just because a group of rich and powerful people get together on the weekend does not mean they are planning some attack on your lifestyle. People that are wealthy and powerful are, wait for it, wealthy and powerful. And yes, many times they get their way. But there is no conspiracy to change your life or take it away. Most of the wealthy folks understand the importance of the free market capitalist system, because that's how they got to be wealthy and powerful.