How Minds Change

I didn't start with high expectations for this book but was pleasantly surprised. It was very insightful and clearly written - a mix of interesting conversations, humane stories and individual journeys, as well as some social science, psychology and neuroscience theory and research. I really enjoyed reading it. Now I need to give McRaney's podcast a second chance.

This book isn't a how-to guide on how to change minds, although the author does provide some simple lists of steps for the casual reader. The book instead works as a survey of the best real-world examples that McRaney could find. A reader whose curiosity is sparked about deep canvassing or street epistemology can go seek out the literature. The value McRaney brings as a science writer is introducing these topics to the world, explaining them to the layperson, investigating the connections among them, and linking them to culture and politics.

And the book also isn't a how-to guide on how to win arguments. It’s more of a defense of arguing itself, when conducted in good faith, as critical to the human race.

Best of all is to see the author's optimistic tone compared to his first two books, You Are Not So Smart and You Are Now Less Dumb. While those are fun and enlightening books, they’re built on the premise that people are flawed, while How Minds Change is built on the premise that people are capable.