Reason-Respecting...

Short excerpt from Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin:

People can't be persuaded by what they don't understand. We underestimate the importance of giving people a reason. It is often easier to get people to change with a well-explained reason backed by solid evidence. Tell them so they understand why a specific action is needed, what the expected objective is, and why you think the action is right.

Of course, this doesn't work in every case. Sometimes you don't change people's opinions by showering them with logic. In Jonathan Swift's words: "You cannot reason a person out of a position he did not reason himself into in the first place." Aristotle adds: "For argument based on knowledge implies instruction, and there are people whom one cannot instruct." Sometimes it is better to appeal to emotions than to reason since people are more moved by what they feel than by what they understand.