As mentioned a number of times during this week’s podcast, Jay Heinrich’s 2007 book Thank You for Arguing is an informative and enjoyable resource to help you understand both the theory and practice of rhetoric and the persuasive arts.
Heinrich’s has a passion for the subject and a gift for teaching in a fun and entertaining way that somehow manages to weave together the works and words of Aristotle, Cicero, Lincoln and Homer Simpsons into a set of stories illustrating both the theory and technique behind effective argumentation and persuasion. I particularly liked the way he weaved in personal stories and casual asides about how rhetoric has helped him achieve his goals in both work and family life.
The passion he brings to the subject is clear in both his books and his web site which provides regular analysis of figures of speech (many of them currently coming from the political campaign we’re covering here at Critical Voter). For those joining us to hone their practical critical thinking skills, Heinrich’s Thank You for Arguing provides lessons both on how to argue, and why argumentation is so important for our happiness as individuals and as members of society.
I highly recommend you spend time with him.
The post Thank You for Arguing appeared first on Critical Voter.