ABSTRACT
Inherent in the idea of democratic society is the possibility of changing one another’s beliefs, attitudes, and behavior, even if in limited and modest ways. It is difficult to imagine maintaining faith in democracy as a political system without believing that we can sometimes move one another without resorting to force. And yet, in practice, the challenge of changing others’ minds is maddeningly familiar. This is particularly so when it comes to diminishing biases and prejudices. I begin this chapter with the observation that some people are better at this than others. That is, people can be more or less skilled at reducing the biases and prejudices of other people. And so I ask: what kind of skill does it take to be good at changing people’s biases and prejudices? What are the strategies, abilities, or traits associated with being a successful “de-biasing agent?”
