Summary
The text discusses the effectiveness of rational persuasion compared to using pressure to spread beliefs. It concludes that while pressure may be more prevalent, rational persuasion is ultimately seen as a better strategy due to its ability to lead to genuine belief change supported by evidence and arguments. The author emphasizes the importance of choosing persuasion over pressure, highlighting the risks and limitations of the pressure strategy in spreading true beliefs.
Highlights
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Many will think of “cancel culture”. As most people understand this term, it refers to cases in which mostly young, mostly privileged progressives use social media and other means to destroy the reputations of those who dissent from their worldview
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persuasion is extremely hard. It can sometimes seem impossible. People are biased and stubborn. They are especially difficult to persuade on topics where they have a self-interested stake in holding their beliefs
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when onlookers see evangelists exhibiting extreme passion in spreading their views, they might interpret this as higher-order evidence that the views are true. (“If Bob is that passionate about his beliefs, maybe there is something to them…”). When people make clear sacrifices for their beliefs, as evangelists often do, their sacrifices can function as “credibility-enhancing displays” that end up genuinely persuading people.
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pressures on communication ensure that people are only exposed to evidence in favour of the relevant views and not to evidence against them