Persuasion is how our system is supposed to work. It's what a civilized society uses instead of guns and jackboots. In a democratic system with vast powers far beyond the original intent, where my life and property can be voted out from under me, what others think matters. That intelligent people can be persuaded or not matters to me.

I admit I'm still stumped by people who will not change their outlook regardless of new data - might be an engineering thing on my part - but I'm finding that does seem to be the ground state for much of humanity. Even more puzzling are people who don't even admit that there really is such a thing as objective data in the first place.

I'm glad you're getting something out of your seminars.

You say you're listening to the people with "real power." Why do they have it? How did they get it? How do they keep it? What are they doing with it? Why are they up there and you sitting in the audience? Are these people smarter than you (highly doubtful)? Were they appointed at random? Elected? Did they fight hard to get there? Why?

You have a chance to learn more than just the nuts and bolts of how a government is run.