Changing minds

Gardner in his book “Changing minds” offers some good examples and theories on how to influence on people’s minds, work with their intelligence and finally bring persons which have a different point of view about life to a common ground.

According to Gardner, by definition, the leaders are the proper persons who have to change people’s minds. Thus, Gardner offers theoretical examples based on seven points (Reason, Research, Resonance, Representational Re-descriptions, Resources and Rewards, Real-World Events, Resistance). Unfortunately, Gardner has not given much of practical examples and it seems a good theory but a bit utopia. Nevertheless the models are acceptable and applicable.

If we look at world practice, or world history, the people that have influenced a lot human minds and have changed the wheel of history have not used any way of persuasion based on theory of Gardner. It seems that the only “strong weapon” in their struggle for life have been their ideas implemented in practice. The best example could be taken by the religious leaders, their ideas, way of implementation, support by the followers and the how this influenced people’s minds and made them so different. Those ideas made people not only to change their minds, but the way of living, treating people and changed the very essence of their way of existence.

Gardner’s models could be successful but, according to my opinion, if used by a leader (political, religious, CEO etc) would they bring any permanent change to people’s minds?? Even if they bring a change, it would be short term, temporarily and how much this change would resist to time? The word experience has shown that first of all is the idea thrown to people, what does it offer to them, what kind of change does it bring for them, and the ways to implement it, could be far more different than the models introduced by Gardner. Practice has shown that people who follow up strict, fixed, or predefined models have usually failed because, people, place, political and social- economic situation could be not appropriate or suitable to accept a change applied by predefined models.