Can you really change someone’s mind — and should you even try? Philosopher Colin Marshall joins Preconceived to explore the art, science, and ethics of persuasion. Why do some people change their deeply held beliefs while others seem completely immune to reason? Can people truly change, or are we more set in our ways than we’d like to believe? And when does persuasion cross the line into manipulation? Drawing on philosophy and real-world examples, Colin explains why changing minds requires something very different from winning an argument — including patience, empathy, and a willingness to genuinely listen. But are respectful conversations enough to overcome our biases, or is a little manipulation sometimes justified?

Learn more about Colin's latest book on persuasion - Hear Me Out - at https://www.amazon.ca/Just-Hear-Me-Out-Compromise/dp/0226842002

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This episode explores why superheroes are more than disposable pop culture: they reflect our hopes and anxieties about power, morality, identity, and justice. Zale is joined by Danny Fingeroth, a comic book historian, former Marvel editor, and author of Superman on the Couch and A Marvelous Life. Together, they discuss why flawed heroes like Spider-Man resonate, how superhero stories blur the line between heroism and vigilantism, and what these enduring characters reveal about our search for hope and meaning.

Learn more about Danny Fingeroth at https://dannyfingeroth.com/

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Most of us assume that great actors are just born with it — some natural gift that lets them inhabit a character and move us in ways we can't quite explain. But what actually goes into the performances we love? Is it raw talent, or is there a craft behind it that most of us never get to see? This episode pulls back the curtain on what acting really is, and how the best performers in the world have learned to do what they do.

Cynthia Ashperger is a Canadian actress, director, and acting teacher whose work spans stage, screen, and the classroom, with a particular focus on the Meisner technique and the psychophysical dimensions of performance.

In this conversation, Zale and Cynthia dig into the training, techniques, and inner work that shape great performances — and what it really takes to move an audience.

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