In a disagreement with somebody, it's tempting to fire up the truth-cannon and start explaining exactly why they're wrong and you're right. This, however, won't get you anywhere. People hate being told they're wrong, doing this will hit them straight in the ego and put them on the defensive - making them unlikely to accept anything you say. Instead, you're much better off allowing them to talk themselves into a corner. This is a sort of variation of a method of debate known as the Socratic method, in which inquiry and discussion, as opposed to conflict and debate, are used to uncover the truth. If, for example, they start waxing lyrical about immigration or the correct way to eat a Jaffa Cake, respond with something like "Interesting, why do you think that?" and get them to repeatedly expand and justify their points. Most of the time, they'll get to the point at which they can't justify themselves. It should, of course, be noted that this only works if they're actually wrong. Want to write for WhatCulture Science? Click here to find out how you could get paid to write about what you love.Hey, you. Yeah, you. You want some more science? Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for your next fix.
