Which is Better: Persuasion or Force?
Abstract
People have always been trying to make each other do something that they do not want to do. Ever since Satan tricked Eve in the Garden of Eden, there have been two primary methods for enforcing one's will upon someone else: persuasion and force.
This experiment examines these two methods and attempts to determine which is better. It was hypothesized that force would work better than persuasion because force works no matter how willing the subject is. The experiment, however, showed the opposite, that persuasion is better than force. The implications of this result are far reaching.
Paper
Which is better: persuasion or force? This experiment examines these two methods and determines which is better.
A little background is required first. Ever since Satan tricked Eve in the Garden of Eden, there have been two primary methods for enforcing one's will upon someone else: persuasion and force (Nonymous, 15). Force is defined as "to compel through pressure or necessity" (Dictionary, 522). Persuasion, on the other hand, means "the act of persuading or being persuaded" (Dictionary, 926). Thus, these methods taken together show different paths that one can take in order to enforce one's will upon someone else.
Force has been used for a long time. The Israelites took the Promised Land through force (Joshua, NIV). Alexander the Great used force when he conquered much of the known world (Heroditus, Books I-VI). Other examples include... [Editor's note: The remainder of this paragraph removed because of space considerations.]
Likewise, persuasion occurred just as often. Satan persuaded Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing a curse on all humanity (Genesis 3, NIV).... [Editor's note: Section removed due to space limitations.] Finally, modern politicians often persuade the public to vote for them by making all sorts of bizarre promises that they have no hope of keeping.
My hypothesis for this experiment was that force would be better than persuasion, since force can work even when the subject is unwilling. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted using a man, the north wind, and the sun. The man had a loose-fitting cloak that he wrapped around his shoulders. Then, the north wind and the sun would each take a turn attempting to get the man to remove his cloak. The participants would be timed with an ordinary stop watch. This process was repeated three times to ensure reproducible data. A coin was flipped to determine who would go first for the first trial. After that, the participants would alternate throughout the remainder of the experiment.
The north wind won the toss and thus went first. Using all his force, the north wind blew as hard as he could against the man, causing his cloak to flap around like crazy. The man, however, only held onto his cloak harder. The man never removed his cloak. The results from each of the three trials for the wind are summarized below in Table 1.
Table 1 -- North Wind's Results
Trial Time
1 Infinite
2 Infinite
3 Infinite
Overall, the north wind's three trial times averaged out to infinity. He failed to dislodge the man's cloak.
The sun went second during each trial. Instead of using force, he beamed down gently on the man, causing him to become warmer and warmer until eventually the man took off his cloak. The results from the sun's trials are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 -- Sun's Results
Trial Time
1 5 minutes, 23 seconds
2 8 minutes, 10 seconds
3 1 minute, 1 second
Overall, the sun's average time was 4 minutes, 51 seconds. The sun successfully dislodged the man's cloak during each trial.
Based upon the data, my hypothesis has been proven incorrect. Persuasion is better than force. The results of this experiment are far-reaching, affecting parent/child, student/teacher, and even dictator/oppressed-peasant relationships.
Bibliography
1. American Heritage Dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
2. God. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: International Bible Society/Zondervan, 1984.
3. Heroditus. Histories. Athens: Ancient Greek Scribes, 440 BC.
4. Nonymous, Alexander. Methods for Enforcing One's Will upon Others. Tehran, Iran: O-PRESS-ion, 2007.
People have always been trying to make each other do something that they do not want to do. Ever since Satan tricked Eve in the Garden of Eden, there have been two primary methods for enforcing one's will upon someone else: persuasion and force.
This experiment examines these two methods and attempts to determine which is better. It was hypothesized that force would work better than persuasion because force works no matter how willing the subject is. The experiment, however, showed the opposite, that persuasion is better than force. The implications of this result are far reaching.
Paper
Which is better: persuasion or force? This experiment examines these two methods and determines which is better.
A little background is required first. Ever since Satan tricked Eve in the Garden of Eden, there have been two primary methods for enforcing one's will upon someone else: persuasion and force (Nonymous, 15). Force is defined as "to compel through pressure or necessity" (Dictionary, 522). Persuasion, on the other hand, means "the act of persuading or being persuaded" (Dictionary, 926). Thus, these methods taken together show different paths that one can take in order to enforce one's will upon someone else.
Force has been used for a long time. The Israelites took the Promised Land through force (Joshua, NIV). Alexander the Great used force when he conquered much of the known world (Heroditus, Books I-VI). Other examples include... [Editor's note: The remainder of this paragraph removed because of space considerations.]
Likewise, persuasion occurred just as often. Satan persuaded Eve to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing a curse on all humanity (Genesis 3, NIV).... [Editor's note: Section removed due to space limitations.] Finally, modern politicians often persuade the public to vote for them by making all sorts of bizarre promises that they have no hope of keeping.
My hypothesis for this experiment was that force would be better than persuasion, since force can work even when the subject is unwilling. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted using a man, the north wind, and the sun. The man had a loose-fitting cloak that he wrapped around his shoulders. Then, the north wind and the sun would each take a turn attempting to get the man to remove his cloak. The participants would be timed with an ordinary stop watch. This process was repeated three times to ensure reproducible data. A coin was flipped to determine who would go first for the first trial. After that, the participants would alternate throughout the remainder of the experiment.
The north wind won the toss and thus went first. Using all his force, the north wind blew as hard as he could against the man, causing his cloak to flap around like crazy. The man, however, only held onto his cloak harder. The man never removed his cloak. The results from each of the three trials for the wind are summarized below in Table 1.
Table 1 -- North Wind's Results
Trial Time
1 Infinite
2 Infinite
3 Infinite
Overall, the north wind's three trial times averaged out to infinity. He failed to dislodge the man's cloak.
The sun went second during each trial. Instead of using force, he beamed down gently on the man, causing him to become warmer and warmer until eventually the man took off his cloak. The results from the sun's trials are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 -- Sun's Results
Trial Time
1 5 minutes, 23 seconds
2 8 minutes, 10 seconds
3 1 minute, 1 second
Overall, the sun's average time was 4 minutes, 51 seconds. The sun successfully dislodged the man's cloak during each trial.
Based upon the data, my hypothesis has been proven incorrect. Persuasion is better than force. The results of this experiment are far-reaching, affecting parent/child, student/teacher, and even dictator/oppressed-peasant relationships.
Bibliography
1. American Heritage Dictionary. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
2. God. The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: International Bible Society/Zondervan, 1984.
3. Heroditus. Histories. Athens: Ancient Greek Scribes, 440 BC.
4. Nonymous, Alexander. Methods for Enforcing One's Will upon Others. Tehran, Iran: O-PRESS-ion, 2007.
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