How to Win an Argument - 38 Methods from Schopenhauer [View all]

[MineralMan]

A brilliant German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, wrote a book with the English title of "The Art of Controversy." It's a sarcastic look at strategies people often use in arguments. They're all one sort of logical fallacy or another, but Schopenhauer presents them very nicely. There are 38 strategies in his list, which should be read by anyone who discusses things on the Internet. You'll find them all, nicely presented, at the link below:

http://www.mnei.nl/schopenhauer/38-stratagems.htm

Here are a couple of my favorites from the 38 Stratagems:

8. Make your opponent angry. An angry person is less capable of using judgement or perceiving where his or her advantage lies.

14. Try to bluff your opponent. If he or she has answered several of your questions without the answers turning out in favor of your conclusion, advance your conclusion triumphantly, even if it does not follow. If your opponent is shy or stupid, and you yourself possess a great deal of impudence and a good voice, the trick may easily succeed.

Once you've read and absorbed these, you'll find all of them in play on any discussion forum, and in the political world we all live in. It's great fun, and worth a close read. You can even print out that web page for future reference to identify the bogus arguments you encounter on a daily basis.

Which ones are your favorites?