Changing someone’s mind is inherently difficult because it requires changing one’s own mind

Evidence

There are simple, clear answers to every complex question – but unfortunately they are wrong. Whoever expected a simple guidebook from us, a cooking recipe to refute bullshit arguments and turn believers into skeptics, may now be disappointed. But there are no such simple answers. Getting someone to change their mind is incredibly difficult – simply because changing one’s mind is difficult. As much as you may sometimes be scratching your head: There are people like us on the other side who are just as convinced they are right. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 824

Categorization

• APHORISMS: There are no simple answers to complex questions, and changing your mind is genuinely hard — worth keeping as a reminder for persuasion work.
• XREF: Connects to the epistemic humility thread in the reader’s skepticism and argumentation sources.

Related

• People change their own minds; persuasion attempts play a small role (similarity 0.84)
• Genuine belief change is possible and rare, centered on an initial crack of doubt (similarity 0.82)
• No simple trick can change another person’s worldview against their will (similarity 0.80)
• People reduce dissonance by changing beliefs rather than behavior (similarity 0.79)