One of my biggest passions, personally and professionally, is the concept of persuasion. Whether it’s in the form of logical arguments or emotional appeals, I’m fascinated by its workings. Appropriately, then, I enjoyed this year’s Edge World Question, “What have you changed your mind about? Why?”

Some friends and associates whose answers jumped out at me:

• Clay Shirky, on religion and science
• Chris Anderson, on carbon
• Nick Carr, on the web
• Xeni Jardin, on tending online communities
• Linda Stone, on breathing

There’s lots more there, and despite my skepticism over Edge’s annual Q&A, nearly all of it is worth reading.