Of Note: Opening and Perhaps Changing

The Science of Reasoning with Unreasonable People by Adam Grant
The New York Times, January 31, 2021

When Adam Grant offers an opinion on reasoning with unreasonable people, readers who  know and trust his work are ready and willing to listen. But here, Grant wants to draw in both people who agree with and those on the other side of any point he has made. He does this with a promise that there is a science, not only an art, to dealing with those we see as stubborn, unmovable, and impossible to persuade. As educators, we may be particularly devoted to the idea that we can help others think and learn. Grant points us toward an additional skill set that our times require us to teach – the capacity to re-think and to unlearn. He demonstrates that science has shown that we are extremely unlikely to change minds that are not motivated to open. Then he shows us the significant value in asking open-ended questions of those with whom we disagree, listening carefully, and seeking truly to understand the nuances of how they have constructed their worldviews. Grant’s newest book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know, expands the message of this short article. In both, Grant uses the very skills he invites us to apply to others, while choosing courage over comfort in the science of opening, and perhaps changing, minds.