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/lit/ - Literature

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13644581 No.13644581 [Reply] [Original]

What books should I read to make convincing arguments, win debates and influence others with my ideas

>> No.13644592

I like your pic, op. I chuckled.

>> No.13644637

Very funny picture indeed, one could say "ha ha"

>> No.13644689

Euclid's Elements for an example of something impossible to refute.
Aristotle's Organon for a detailed explanation of the basic structure of all logical arguments, plus a discussion of sophisms and logcal fallacies.
Aristotle's Rhetoric for a treatise on the art of public speaking and persuasion.
Plato's dialogues for semi-fictional examples of how intellectual discussion can take place.
It's not necessary to read either of Aristotle's works in full (since you could easily do just fine having read their respective articles on the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).
If you would like a non-mathematical example of someone trying to argue something by the means of pure logic, you could look through Spinoza's Ethics or Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, neither one of which you'd necessarily have to agree everything with, but that you should still nevertheless be able to imagine why others have felt convinced by them, based on the structure of their arguments.

For any topic you would want to discuss with others, you would obviously have to find something who would be willing to debate you, and have to do plenty of reading on that topic (like a specific political or ethical issue).

>> No.13644850

If you have to rely on debate tactics to win an argument, it's probably because you're wrong. The facts should speak for themselves. Spend your time researching the topic, and don’t be afraid to change your mind if it seems your previous hypothesis was wrong. Argue with yourself, from the position of the enemy, and if you can’t win, you’ve probably got a good argument. If you lose, find some research to back you up, or change your hypothesis. This is what separates debate experts like The Fast-Talking Epic Jew from the actual intellectuals.

>> No.13645096

>>13644581
The Art of Being Right: 38 Ways to Win an Argument by Arthur Schoppenhauer would be my recommedation for starting bc it's very short but still educational.
>>13644850
>thinks being intellectually honest is important in a debate

>> No.13646567

Debates are a meme, you can't change some peoples ideas by feeding them a different idea, if anything, they cling more to their beliefs.

>> No.13646601

>>13646567
That’s because all debates are a matter of freedom vs safety(which are polar opposites) therefore between people with opposite interests.