[Aliantha]

Maybe not to make others think 'like they do' but definitely to get them to think full stop. That is to say, maybe you don't necessarily hope or even want people to think your way, but you certainly want to create understanding. That's the purpose of discussion...isn't it? So if the discussion is successful, you might judge that by both parties recognising the others argument and identifying the aspects of both which preclude similar thought. This then leads to different ways of viewing the subject and in fact means that both have influenced the other.