Persuasion is often more effectual than force. — Aesop If you’ve ever used social media, you have probably tried to change someone’s opinion on something–and probably done so in vain. Facebook feuds, Twitter storms, back-and-forth email exchanges, in all of these cases, it can be quite difficult to change another person’s opinion. But did you know…
In the past, men created witches; now they create mental patients. — Thomas Szasz As we discussed last week, under certain circumstances or through certain disorders, people can experience some true, nighttime terrors—literal hallucinations where the evil doer is not dreamed but seen in front of the perceiver. And although these phantasms were short-lasting, with the…
Controversy is only dreaded by the advocates of error. — Benjamin Rush As someone who explicitly researches the psychology behind advocacy, I can confirm: widespread social change is hard to initiate. People become very comfortable with the status quo and how things are, the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” one of…
Where there is no imagination, there is no horror. – Arthur Conan Doyle Halloween just may be my favorite holiday of the year. Well, after Christmas. And Thanksgiving. And the two weeks leading up to my birthday. And all holidays that cancel school. But still: Halloween is awesome. I mean, how often does society allow…
A drunk driver is very dangerous. So is a drunk backseat driver if he’s persuasive. — Demetri Martin It’s been a little over a week since my return to the US, and let’s just say the Amazon I am now exploring is not the Amazon I wish I were exploring. But you all don’t pay…
Those who command themselves, command others. — William Hazlitt It’s not easy having a brother in the Naval Academy. It’s even less easy when that brother is graduating this Saturday, your parents are falling all over him (even though you just got your master’s degree), and he’s twice the muscle size as you as your…