> Exceptions arise only in cases where ideas are much too far ahead of their time. The only example I can think of right now is Leonardo Da Vinci inventing the helicopter, but I'm sure there are better examples. These ideas will seem so far out to contemporaries that they die (only to be resurrected by historians after "the helicopter has been invented", so to speak).

Relativity met with a *whole* lot of dissagreement at first. Dissagreement that lasted for decades. When an idea comes out that completely changes the universe, people don't act very kindly to it.

> That's my favourite tool for convincing people (does it appear in "How to be persuasive"? Don't have time to look). I find that the optimum trick is to bring the "hurtful truth" home gradually, i.e. as the person thinks about what you just said while still in a good mood. Often, this will also enable an intelligent discussion instead of just exchange of abuse.

Yeah, it's in the "Name Calling" category. Four eyes.