Want to Change Someone's Mind? Use This Philosopher's 350-Year-Old Trick
Convincing someone they're wrong can seem impossible, especially on social media. But here's a trick you can use that someone came up with 350 YEARS before Facebook was a thing . . .
Blaise Pascal was a French philosopher and mathematician in the 17th century who dealt with probabilities.
And he figured out that if you want to change someone's mind, you can increase your odds by first focusing on how they're RIGHT.
Basically, we all want to feel smart, and our egos don't like being wrong. So if you want to win an argument, you should focus on stuff you agree with first.
It butters the person up, so they're not so standoffish. Then they'll be more receptive when you bring the hammer down and point out the things you DON'T agree on.
Pascal also realized that we're more likely to concede a point if we feel like we've arrived at the truth OURSELVES, with minimal help. Which is why just telling someone over and over again that they're wrong doesn't work very well.
(Quartz)