Arguments arent won with information; theyreresolved with rhetoric, the art of persuasion.
This is part of Lifehackers book review series.
This review will focus on therevised edition, released in 2013.
As Heinrichs explains throughoutThank You For Arguing, persuasion rules the world, and its a totally learnable skill.
If youre arguing over who did what (blame), you should use the past tense.
But if youre arguing over a decision (choice), using the future tense is the most advantageous.
If you want to keep an argument from becoming a fight, use the future tense.
It promises a payoff.
It also covers how to defend yourself whenyouare caught using a logical fallacy.
Each sin is a mini-chapter filled with tips and examples so you always know what youre dealing with.
Youll also learn how to pick your battles when calling someone out, and to never argue the inarguable.
Anything that keeps the argument from reaching a conclusion means nobody succeeds.
Basically, you get to see how what youve learned has been used in the real-world.
But as Heinrichs explains, you’re free to get what you want out of an argumentwithoutwinning.
Im already diving back in to go over some of the sections once more.
Its the kind of book you keep on your bookshelf and re-read every now and again.
And thats what this book does, no doubt about it.
Heinrichs also finds a way to persuade youwhileyoure reading about persuasion, making the book tremendously fun to read.
He even interjects with Persuasion Alerts when hes using one of his many rhetorical tricks onyou.
The use of historical figures and pop culture references is also a major boon when Heinrichs is giving examples.
Youll get a kick out of learning advanced rhetoric from Abe Lincoln and Homer Simpson in the same chapter.
