I ask this because usually my opinions about things change fairly slowly. But every once in a while, I will hear an argument, and I will instantly be convinced by it. Somehow I have been presented with a point of view that seems so natural that there’s really no way to go against it.
For example, I was only about halfway through the Tau Manifesto, http://tauday.com/, which claims that the mathematical constant π is counterintuitive difficult to understand and that by replacing it with a different number (and adjusting equations accordingly), everything comes to work out more neatly. I am now afraid, that if we are beaming π out to aliens, they are going to think humanity is a bunch of idiots.
Or on a more political note, I was against same-sex marriage for many years, until the mayor of San Francisco started issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. I saw one extraordinarily happy and joyful couple describing their situation on the news, and I said to myself “The only way I can be against happiness is if I’m a dick.” And that was that.
So, what of you, fellow Dopers? Are there instances of things either pointless or profound where you’ve been convinced of something in an instant? If so, what happened?
I always had trouble with the idea of sex changes. Then I was looking at a picture of a very pretty transwoman and thought, “Well, I could accept this one as a woman because she is so pretty and feminine.” I had to stop and ask myself whether I had ever had trouble accepting a cisgender (not that I knew that word then) woman as a woman just because she was ugly or mannish or whatever, and the answer was “no.” I found it much easier to accept all transgender people after that.
I wasn’t ever against gay marriage but I did think that if a state wanted to enact “civil unions” that was close enough and people should stop bitching.
Anyhow, one time we were discussing it and I argued, “if it gives you the same types of rights, what’s the problem?” my husband said, “what’s wrong with the back of the bus? It gets you there, same as the front, doesn’t it?” I and was like, damn, he’s right, civil unions are a second-class status and that’s bullshit. And from then on, I was for marriage equality all the way down.
when I found a text saying " are you alone?" I was instantly convinced my ex was having an affair.
I was instantly convinced some guy who joined today and started ranting about the JFK assassination wouldn’t last 24 hours. And he didn’t!
That being shot really does hurt & it is not easier the next time either. :: Grump ::
Yeah Tau is clearly a good idea…