I didn't get around to asking these questions in class today, but they relate to our discussion of the anti-Semite: can critical thinking help us reach people who don't value it? Presumably we want racists to replace prejudice with understanding and appreciation. Some people believe that this change has to come from within. But assuming that we can do something to further this goal, how do we communicate with people so set in their ways that they reject a rational analysis of their beliefs?
Mark Twain said "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." I think this is part of the answer. What do you think?
(Aside: How funny, I just heard an ad on one of my online radio stations for studying abroad at NYU.)
My conception of the matter has always been that you have to come down to the level of the person you're speaking to to have a persuasive impact. So, I want to say instinctively that critical thinking can't affect those who don't value it.
ReplyDeleteTo reach our anti-Semite, the first step to quite plainly ask why he feels the way that he does. The best way to learn about people is to ask them questions, especially if they have a view they're willing to share.
Once we get an explanation,in his own words, about why he feels the way he does, we need to take the time to learn about him psychologically. Discover the underlying, even unconcious motivations for his feelings. Learn his priorities, motivations, and issues.
Finally, address his anti-Semitic in such a way that you only really attack the unconscious issues preventing him from critically thinking in the first place. If he realizes his point of view is being attacked, he will withdraw.
The best way to convince someone to do or think something is to show them that they never thought differently in the first place. Or make them believe they came to the same conclusion themselves. This can only be done with tact, psychological knowledge, and an extremely effective use of pathos, ethos, and logos.
Right. I don't think we ever directly change the minds of closed-minded people. Rather, we plant seeds, and in the process perhaps influence others whose minds aren't quite so rigid.
ReplyDeleteI think, however, that there are many ways to go about this, each with its own strengths and limitations (though I do think that critical thinking needs to be going on, at least behind the scenes). Sometimes formalizing arguments can help, but I think most often people open their minds when their hearts or imaginations are stimulated in new directions through art, literature, and/or relationship.
Hatching a scheme to dispose prejudice seems unhelpful. Indirect, unintentional example is my preferred medium of influence.
ReplyDeleteStudy abroad at NYU does sound kind of funny, though I suppose it depends on where you're coming from...
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