Take control of disagreement by managing your emotions, choosing your ground, and deciding where you want the conversation to go instead of merely reacting to the last thing said.

LISTEN NOW!

Listen to the column, or the research behind it.

Column Research

Stories: Science Philosophy Critical Thinking History Big Bang Metaphysics Evolution Biases Futurism Ancient History Ethics Reasoning

1 Essay + 6 Tidbits

1 Focus

Plus a bonus deep-dive article.

This Month:

— Persuasion —

The best persuaders do not attack identity; they create room for reconsideration. Roger Williams offers a useful model: engage people within their own framework, find common ground, and let persuasion grow from dialogue rather than force.

Greetings!

Earlier this year I wrote my 5 column Understanding MAGA series and the feedback has been almost entirely positive. I think because the series is not partisan, despite the headline grabbing title. It’s really just a fair look at how people end up in something like MAGA. I’m very proud of the series. If you haven’t read it yet, start here:

Column 1 of 5: Copernicus, Societal Blindness, and Worldview.

The only real feedback I got was along the lines of interesting, but how can we convert someone? So, this month’s topic is persuasion. To tackle persuasion, we’ll use one of history’s great persuaders as our role model: Roger Williams.

–Michael Alan Prestwood

6 Research Tidbits

Wisdom Builder Crossroads

The research, stories, and questions that inform this issue.

1 Story »

The Great Quaker Debates!

9 Aug 1672

You can believe another person is deeply wrong, argue your case forcefully, and still defend their right to disagree.

2 Quote »

“All men are prone to differ. It is no new thing in all former ages, in all parts. Each party is most right in his own eyes.”

Roger Williams
1648

In disagreement, take control of your response instead of letting emotion or the last comment control where the conversation goes.

3 Science »

Do facts actually change minds?

Take control of debate by correcting the claim without turning the person into the target. Focus attention on what is true, not on proving the other person wrong.

4Philosophy »

When does persuasion become manipulation?

Persuasion respects agency; manipulation tries to take control of it.

5Critical Thinking »

How can you tell when a debate has stopped being productive?

Take control of disagreement by recognizing when a debate is no longer productive and exiting before frustration turns into anger.

6History!

What is the history of debate?

A thinking person understands that good debate finds a way to test ideas, expose weaknesses, clarify differences, and move everyone a little closer to truth.

The Deeper Dive!

Linked Article

History

Article

Roger Williams Biography and Dedication to the Freedom of Conscience

Historical Perspective

Big changes rarely happen all at once. Long before the American founding, Roger Williams was putting ideas like liberty of conscience into practice in Providence. Wisdom means seeing those deeper foundations—how ideas emerge, get tested in real life, and sometimes grow across generations into principles later societies take for granted.

The Philosophy Website

THIS MONTH: Persuasion.