Today we welcome David McRaney. He is a science journalist fascinated with brains, minds, and culture. In 2012, he created the podcast You Are Not So Smart based on his 2009 internationally bestselling book of the same name and its follow-up, You Are Now Less Dumb. David is also an editor, photographer, voiceover artist, television host, journalism teacher, lecturer, and tornado survivor. His most recent book is called How Minds Change.

In this episode, I talk to David McRaney about the science of belief and persuasion. In this day and age of online tribes and echo chambers, changing people’s opinions seems like an impossible task. Instead of arguing over facts, David encourages us to use empathy to understand why we disagree. He explains Piaget’s framework behind knowledge building and shares the use of technique rebuttal for sincere conversations.

Website: www.davidmcraney.com

Twitter: @davidmcraney

Topics

• • David’s interest in how minds change
  • Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology
  • Focus on motivations, not conclusions
  • Why do people see the viral 2015 dress differently? 
  • How we produce and evaluate arguments
  • We’re living in a post trust world
  • How to change minds in large groups
  • Cults and conspiratorial communities
  • Technique rebuttal