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A comment on Ask HN: How does one convince people and change minds in a post-fact world?.

Re:Ask HN: How does one convince people and change minds in ... by User23 on Tuesday January 17, 2017 @01:18PM (#13419738)
People have never made decisions based on facts. We decide based on emotions, and then rationalize our decisions later if ever.

Evolution did not optimize us for accurate understanding of the world. It optimized us for having offspring that survive. The latter by and large does not require the former. Indeed, deception plays a big role in human reproductive strategies.

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Re:Ask HN: How does one convince people and change minds in ... by qzxvwt on Tuesday January 17, 2017 @07:28PM (#13422922)
Reminds me of something Putin said to journalists regarding global balance of power:

"International Relations is much like mathematics — there is nothing personal about it."[1]

[1] https://youtu.be/kqD8lIdIMRo?t=11m25s

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Re:Ask HN: How does one convince people and change minds in ... by r_smart on Tuesday January 17, 2017 @01:49PM (#13419997)
One of the sales guys where I work has a piece of paper hung on his cubicle which reads: "All purchasing decisions are emotional."

It's wrong only in having too narrow of a scope :)

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