> The social psychological research on this is clear: attitudes and
> consciousness are the effects of (not the causes of!) changes in social
> conditions. To put it simply, we don't need to change people's minds to
> change society; we need to change society to change people's minds.
Well, obviously, it's chicken and egg.
How do people ever change society without previously changing their minds?
Marx used to say that the sloppiest architect differed from the most capable bee in that the architect started production with a mental image of her final product and that her image guided her work.
How can we build a global community of free people based on solidarity and cooperation -- a pretty deliberate social product if ever existed any -- without changing our minds to start with, without getting to believe that such a social arrangement is possible and necessary?
(Note that I'm not saying that the change in people's minds is unrelated to the evolving social conditions. This list has already debated extensively the interaction between human agency and social structure. Check the archives.)