The art of persuasion
September 19th, 2008 at 07:00am Barry Wood
Apparently there are many Americans who still haven’t decided how they will vote in November, and millions of dollars are being spent to help them make up their minds. So it seems like a good time to consider the difference between “convince” and “persuade.”
To “convince” is “to overcome the doubts of” or “make feel sure,” using argument or evidence. “Convince” is followed at some point by “that” or “of”:
“A prosecutor tries to convince a jury that the accused is guilty. A defense attorney tries to convince a jury of his client’s innocence.”
To “persuade” is “to cause to do something.” It is usually followed by “to”:
“He persuaded the jury to find his client not guilty.”
So “convince” produces a point of view, “persuade” produces an action.
In the presidential race, the goal of each campaign is to convince people that its candidate is the better one and then persuade them to vote for him.
It’s a fine point, but one considered worth preserving by most usage experts. Of course, not all of them are convinced.
Entry Filed under: perplexing pairs
4 Comments Add your own
1. Dr. K | September 19th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I am both convinced and persuaded. Excellent! This is a fine distinction (I’m convinced), and stated clearly enough that I can use it too (I’m persuaded!)
best wishes
Rick
2. Barry Wood | September 23rd, 2008 at 1:46 am
Thanks for the comment. It’s always good to know someone is reading these things.
3. Leonardo duh Vinci | September 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Upon your recommendation, I persuaded myself to read one of the two books that are your favorites. I read EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES and now I am trying to remember the other book. It seems like it was a book on philosophy. EATS SHOOTS is a very very funny book.
I got it through Inter-Library Loan.
4. Barry Wood | September 24th, 2008 at 12:43 am
I’m glad you enjoyed “Eats, Shoots, & Leaves.” And nice job working “persuaded” into your e-mail.
I believe the other book I mentioned was “The Immense Journey” by Loren Eiseley. I feel I should warn anyone reading this recommendation that the book contains observations about nature from the perspective of a man well-grounded in science. So people put off by scientific concepts such as evolution and geologic time, for example, probably will want avoid it. And that’s a shame, for it’s beautifully written and contains much stimulation for the old gray matter.
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