Persuade xor Discover

Paul Graham’s essay Persuade xor Discover contends that writers must choose between two fundamentally incompatible goals: persuading readers or discovering truth.

The Core Conflict

“Writing to persuade and writing to discover are diametrically opposed.”

Graham differentiates between harmless social conventions and more dangerous rhetorical padding woven into arguments. The second type compromises intellectual honesty by softening ideas to avoid offending readers.

Why Brevity Matters

“You don’t know what the ideas are until you get them down to the fewest words.”

Adding padding to please readers risks self-deception and muddling genuine insights.

The Discovery Problem

When writers prioritize persuasion, they unconsciously avoid surprising conclusions that would be difficult to defend. This compromise prevents noticing genuinely novel thoughts.

The Tradeoff

Graham shows two versions of the same argument about unions—one blunt, one sympathetic. The sympathetic version is more persuasive but less honest about what he actually discovered.

My Takeaway

Choose discovery. If you’re writing to figure something out, let the chips fall where they may. Persuasion comes after you know what’s true.