You Cannot Prove Anything (To Someone Else)

“You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.” – Galileo Galilei

If you have ever tried to prove something to another person, you might notice just how difficult it can be. Some people may agree with every point you state, whereas other people might appear to be intentionally arguing with you for the sake of arguing. If you believe all humans – or at least all those of a particular sex – should think the same way, then you might readily conclude they should all reach the same conclusions. Or perhaps you think that everyone is logical in some way, so it should be theoretically possible to show another person the correct line of reasoning and have them come to the correct conclusion. For some of us, nothing can be more frustrating than dealing with a person who simply “doesn’t get it”, someone who doesn’t understand our logic no matter how many ways we try to explain ourselves. This problem is no accident of course.