Ways of getting people to do what you wish they would.

Let's say I have to go to the store for something, and I really want Dave to come with me. He says he doesn't want to.

There are a variety of ways in which I can try to get him to come anyway. (This list is probably not exhaustive.)

• Argument. I could start tallying all the reasons he should want to come to the store with me (the duties of partnership, the fact that he will enjoy the trip outside, etc.)
  
• Bribing. I could promise to buy him a chocolate croissant if he comes.
  
• Lying. I could tell him that he will enjoy the trip outside, even though I'm quite sure that he won't.
  
• Force. I could tickle or punch him until he stops resisting, and cram him into the car.

These same ways of evoking change are available in other contexts, too -- say a high school teacher wants his students to work harder, or a President wants the country to support her declaration of war.

I feel, as I expect most people do, that argument seems like the "best" of these methods, in some sense; the others should be resorted to only in exceptional circumstances, and only when argument is for some reason impossible. But this leaves us with a couple of important questions.

1. What is distinctive about argument? How does it differ from bribing, and from force?
2. In what ways, or for what reasons, is argument preferable to the other methods?

Ok, now that I've gotten to the interesting part I have to quit. If anyone has ideas about these questions, please share! I also have some ideas which I'll try to write down later.