In the section, “Changing Our Minds”, Appiah discusses conversation and how it can be difficult to persuade other peoples minds. He also mentions that our opinions are based on what we already know. Conversations can be hard because it can be difficult to communicate with people when they have different opinions. An example of this Appiah used in the article is “If you live in a society where children are spanked, you will probably spank your children (Appiah 52).” Since some people grew up with getting spankings, when they are parents, they will spank their children because it’s what they grew up on. They believe that it is normal. Appiah also mentions foot binding, female genital cutting, and gay marriage. After discussing these controversial topics, he says “Understanding one another may be hard; it can certainly be interesting. But it doesn’t require that we come to an agreement” (55).
