How Minds Change | Lecture and conversation with science journalist David McRaney and philosopher of mind Marc Slors

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The power to change someone’s mind

Believing is a spectrum. On the one end, we have whims that we abandon easily. On the one end, we have beliefs that are so firmly held that they are even defended in the face of irrefutable counterevidence. We’re not helped by the fact that we are often prone to self-delusion, confabulation and stubbornness. Yet being able to change our minds (and those of others) is an essential skill in a democratic society buzzing with debate.

In recent years, a revolution has taken place within sociology, psychology and neuroscience, with many new insights into how opinions are formed and how you can change them. It has given birth to new and highly effective techniques to change people’s minds, even within a single conversation. But should we want this power? And can we learn to get better at changing our own minds as well?

Science journalist David McRaney and philosopher of mind Marc Slors take us to the very limits of our reasoning, and reflect on the ways we can change minds. What are the tricks, and what would it mean if we were better at applying them. And should we want to?

About the speakers

David McRaney is a journalist with a passion for psychology, technology and the internet. He became known thanks to his popular blog You Are Not So Smart, where he subtly dissects all the ways we fool ourselves. In his latest book How Minds Change he investigates how opinions shift and points of view are altered. He also produced a podcast and bestselling book with the same name, and the book You Are Now Less Dumb.

Marc Slors is professor of Philosophy of Mind at  Radboud University. His current research focuses on the relationship between cognition and culture. Previous work has focused on the philosophy of neuroscience, free will, social cognition and the self.