Point out that “losing” an argument can allow you to learn things, and if you honestly care about truth you’ll try your best to evaluate ideas from other points of view and consider what it would mean if they were true. Do this without sounding condescending.
Pointing out that she should give your arguments due consideration is not necessarily the best way to get her to do so. Here are some techniques I’ve found useful to avoid triggering defense mechanisms:
Tone is important. Phrase your e-mail in a friendly, humourous and above all non-threatening manner. The Socratic method is well-suited here, as long as your questions come across as curious and playful rather than scathing and rhetorical.
Focus on exciting and cool evidence, like this ring species business. Use vivid imagery, and encourage her to imagine and understand this happening. This might also allow you to exceed 3000 words without losing her attention.
If you do address creationist counter-arguments, make sure that you (visibly) give her arguments due consideration. For example: “It certainly seems this way, but consider the following” rather than “No, that’s just wrong, and here’s why.”
Present strong evidence, but understate the conclusions. For example: rather than “God didn’t have a hand in the origination of species”, just say “If God created all life on Earth, he did it in such a way that it would look like evolution did it.”
Find a place of agreement. That is, find the last place in the debate where you both agree and where your beliefs begin to diverge; then proceed slowly from there. As I’ve said, tone is very important. This technique is more useful if you have an ongoing dialogue, but you should be able to adapt it to a one-off e-mail, if you have a reasonable estimate of where that last place of agreement may lie.
Pointing out that she should give your arguments due consideration is not necessarily the best way to get her to do so. Here are some techniques I’ve found useful to avoid triggering defense mechanisms:
Tone is important. Phrase your e-mail in a friendly, humourous and above all non-threatening manner. The Socratic method is well-suited here, as long as your questions come across as curious and playful rather than scathing and rhetorical.
Focus on exciting and cool evidence, like this ring species business. Use vivid imagery, and encourage her to imagine and understand this happening. This might also allow you to exceed 3000 words without losing her attention.
If you do address creationist counter-arguments, make sure that you (visibly) give her arguments due consideration. For example: “It certainly seems this way, but consider the following” rather than “No, that’s just wrong, and here’s why.”
Present strong evidence, but understate the conclusions. For example: rather than “God didn’t have a hand in the origination of species”, just say “If God created all life on Earth, he did it in such a way that it would look like evolution did it.”
Find a place of agreement. That is, find the last place in the debate where you both agree and where your beliefs begin to diverge; then proceed slowly from there. As I’ve said, tone is very important. This technique is more useful if you have an ongoing dialogue, but you should be able to adapt it to a one-off e-mail, if you have a reasonable estimate of where that last place of agreement may lie.