Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • An Excellent Book for The Writer or Public Speaker
  • Good but a lot of information
  • Excellent read
  • Remedial Rhetoric
  • Great introduction to persuasion
Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion
Jay Heinrichs
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

SuccessSuccess | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
CommunicationCommunication | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
SpeechSpeech | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
Public SpeakingPublic Speaking | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior- -Anytime, Anyplace Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior- -Anytime, Anyplace
  2. A Rulebook for Arguments A Rulebook for Arguments
  3. Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers' Guide from the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
  4. You Can Read Anyone You Can Read Anyone
  5. A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms

ASIN: 0307341445
Release Date: 2007-02-27

Book Description

Thank You for Arguing is your master class in the art of persuasion, taught by professors ranging from Bart Simpson to Winston Churchill. The time-tested secrets the book discloses include Cicero’s three-step strategy for moving an audience to actionÑas well as Honest Abe’s Shameless Trick of lowering an audience’s expectations by pretending to be unpolished. But it’s also replete with contemporary techniques such as politicians’ use of “code” language to appeal to specific groups and an eye-opening assortment of popular-culture dodges, including:

The Eddie Haskell Ploy
Eminem’s Rules of Decorum
The Belushi Paradigm
Stalin’s Timing Secret
The Yoda Technique

Whether you’re an inveterate lover of language books or just want to win a lot more anger-free arguments on the page, at the podium, or over a beer, Thank You for Arguing is for you. Written by one of today’s most popular online language mavens, it’s warm, witty, erudite, and truly enlightening. It not only teaches you how to recognize a paralipsis and a chiasmus when you hear them, but also how to wield such handy and persuasive weapons the next time you really, really want to get your own way.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book for The Writer or Public Speaker.......2007-09-16

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Public Speaking or persuasive writing. Heinrichs keeps his readers interested in everything he has to say through the use of real-world and pop culture references. Random bits of information in the margins keep every page interesting and well worth your time.

5 out of 5 stars Good but a lot of information.......2007-07-30

This is a great book if you like the subject matter. But don't think you are going to walk away ready to put all this into practice in your next public address or debate with a recalcitrant teen. Keep in mind the author's subtle point that the book effectively represents a summary session on a discipline that is thousands of years old. Not that you won't have fun trying it out though.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent read.......2007-07-13

This is an excellent work and I highly recommend it. I just completed a class in composition and rhetoric at college and this should have been the text book. It is funny but highly informational at the same time.

4 out of 5 stars Remedial Rhetoric.......2007-07-04

I enjoyed the book so much that I signed up to received regular emails illustrating "figures" of speech, as they are used popular media. Jay Heinrichs presents the fundamentals of rhetorics in an unpretentious and transparent manner. A lot of information is presented, and I have come to regret, like Heinrichs, that rhetoric is not taught in schools. I would have benefited from having learned these concepts in grade school. Having been persuaded the power of these techniques, I did get a little bored with the ending, where he makes a case that a rhetorically-trained society would be a more democratic one. While I enjoyed the book tremendously, I didn't give it a "5" because I felt the production of the book was poor. I had to send back my first one because it was defective (missing 30 pages), and the layout of the pages looks like it was done by a high-schooler. Also, I thought the conclusion a bit anticlimactic.

5 out of 5 stars Great introduction to persuasion.......2007-05-30

Jay has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that is not only informative, but funny. Many of the concepts Jay writes about I feel I was following naturally, but never saw written down so succinctly. It is good to know that other people enjoy the useful form of argument, the art of rhetoric, still. I feel that most people I meet these days shy away from a good old fashioned debate, just for the intellectual fun of it! My Italian wife was born and raised in this rhetorical way, and this book reminded me how lucky I am to be with someone who can argue, without fighting.
On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Spare me the Anti-P.C.! Kennedy's translation is great!
  • Spare me the P.C.!!
  • The most scholarly & readable translation of the "Rhetorica"
  • relevant even today!
On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse
Aristotle
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Greek & RomanGreek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
AncientAncient | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
SpeechSpeech | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Greece | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
NonfictionNonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ReferenceReference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:
  1. Protagoras, Philebus, and Gorgias (Great Books in Philosophy) Protagoras, Philebus, and Gorgias (Great Books in Philosophy)
  2. The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction (3rd Edition) The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction (3rd Edition)
  3. Gorgias (Penguin Classics) Gorgias (Penguin Classics)
  4. Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times Classical Rhetoric and Its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times
  5. Phaedrus Phaedrus

ASIN: 0195064879

Book Description

Rhetoric in fifty years. Based on careful study of the Greek text and informed by the best modern scholarship, it is the most faithful English version ever published of the book that first defined and organized the study of civic discourse along philosophical lines and still shapes the study of rhetoric and composition in modern times. Comprehensive introductory discussions, a detailed outline, extensive notes, and a glossary of Aristotle's rhetorical terms make the work readily accessible to modern students, while an appendix offers translations of relevant ancient texts and essays on the treatise, with an evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. This book is essential for students and scholars of rhetoric, classics, politics, and philosophy.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Spare me the Anti-P.C.! Kennedy's translation is great!.......2004-04-24

I can't understand quite what it is about Kennedy's book that has so outraged the last reviewer("Spare me the PC!!",Dec. 26,'01). It can't be any real "PC" dogmatism;there's none in Kennedy's book. But take a look at the passage the anti-PC reviewer refers to,& judge for yourself:
"Two features of my translation may be worth pointing out in advance. ...[Here Kennedy discusses a feature that need not concern us now.]... A second feature is avoidance of some of the sexist language seen in older translations,which often speak of 'men' when Aristotle uses a more general plural. I have used *man* or *men* only in those few instances in which the word appears in the Greek; otherwise I use *someone*,*people*,or *they*. On the other hand,to alter Aristotle's many uses of *he*,*his*,or *him* in reference to speakers or members of a Greek assembly or jury would be unhistorical & involve an actual change in the text. Aristotle usually envisions only males as speaking in public; but he clearly did not think that rhetoric was a phenomenon limited to males...."
Now whether Kennedy considered this feature a "virtue" of his translation (as the anti-PC reviewer suggests) is debatable; but based on what I've quoted,Kennedy seems only to speak of it as one of two features "worth pointing out in advance".
Now what has so outraged the anti-PC reviewer? It's not as though Kennedy is translating Aristotle's use of the Greek words for *man* or *men* into gender-neutral English words. Kennedy explicitly says that he has *not* done so.
Kennedy is saying that wherever Aristotle uses a noun or pronoun (*other* than "man/men" or "he/him") that happens in Greek to be masculine in gender,even though there is no particular reason to think (and maybe even positive reason *not* to think) that Aristotle means to be referring exclusively to males,then in such cases (and,from what I understand,*only* in such cases) Kennedy uses a word that in English is gender-neutral,like "person/people" or "someone". Now there is no reason to get into a huff about this or think that Kennedy is constructing some barrier between us English readers & what Aristotle is actually saying. The neuter "gender" just wasn't used in Greek as a way to refer to a mixed group of males & females or as a way to refer to people without specific reference to their gender. The masculine "gendered" words were used for this purpose. This was just a fact about the language.
It's true that in English we sometimes oddly use a word like "guys" to refer to a mixed group of males & females or even to a group of women only,& we sometimes use a word like "he" to refer indefinitely to *someone*,male or female. But in English such cases aren't the norm. In fact,it's peculiar that the specific word "guys" *may* be used in the way I just mentioned,but the word "men" is *never* used in that way. And although "he/him" is,as I said,used with gender-indefinite reference,it's increasingly *not* the norm; these days we just as often see the words "he or she" or even "she" were we formerly found only "he". Now this is just a fact of our language,whether or not you agree that it is an improvement. (I haven't commented on the use of the suffix "-man",which is another matter that is fairly irrelevant here.)
So unless we think that Aristotle actually is referring exclusively to males every time he uses a noun or pronoun that happens in Greek to be masculine in gender,a translator is rather misrepresenting the Greek to translate,as a matter of course,these words into words that in English are obviously-and almost always,exclusively-masculine,like "man/men" & "he/him". Kennedy is simply trying to accurately represent in English a grammatical feature quite common to Greek words but rather rare in English.
I have made a big deal of a point that Kennedy only says was "worth pointing out". I've done this only to do better justice to Kennedy's translation which is quite an improvement over previous English translations.(Even *if* the anti-PC reviewer were justified in his/her characterization of Kennedy's attitude about gender,I don't see how the reviewer arrived at his/her one-star rating. Is this all the reviewer cares about in a translation? Or does he/she think that Kennedy's choice of "people" over "men" totally *ruins* an otherwise good translation?!)
The anti-PC reviewer has (apparently unwittingly) propagated the PC agenda by giving undue attention to what,for serious readers of Kennedy's translation,can be only marginally important.

1 out of 5 stars Spare me the P.C.!!.......2001-12-26

One would think that if anyone had an interest in not erecting artificial barriers to understanding the past, it would be classicists. How then to explain the introduction to George A. Kennedy's new edition of Aristotle's _Rhetoric_?

On page xii, Kennedy highlights his own "enlightenment" by noting that one of the "virtues" of his new translation is his avoidance of the "sexist" language featured in older translations. What does he mean by this? Earlier translators used "man" as a sex-neutral noun and various words ending with the suffix "-man" and its forms to translate the neuter gender, which exists in Greek but not in English.

This is nothing but stupidity, of course. Contrary to the myth propagated by feminists in the media, particularly in publishing, "-man" _is_ the sex-neutral ending, and it is only "-woman" that is sex-specific. English is like dozens of other Indo-European languages in using the same word for its masculine and its neuter forms; if people really wanted to get rid of sex-specific forms, they would eliminate "female" (which etymologically is a form of "male"), "woman" (a form of "man"), etc. What they really want to do, however, is to point to their own superior sensibility in a pharisaical way, simultaneously implicitly impugning everyone else (in Kennedy's case, all Aristotle scholars) who came before.

So, if you want a translation of Aristotle that is not marked by the latest P.C. foolishness, steer clear of this one. Obviously, however good his grasp of Greek in itself, Kennedy has neither the respect for his field nor the knowledge of linguistics one hopes for in a translator.

5 out of 5 stars The most scholarly & readable translation of the "Rhetorica".......2001-02-11

Aristotle's treatise "On Rhetoric" has been the seminal work in the field since it was written. There is a very real sense in which there is nothing new under the sun since Aristotle's day, and that the rhetorical constructs of Burke, Toulmin and every other rhetorical theorist are simply Aristotle's concepts dressed up in new terms. Certainly no one has been as comprehensive in cataloguing all the available means of persuasion. The study of rhetoric begins in earnest with Aristotle's volume. While there are numerous translations of "On Rhetoric" available, this remarkable translation by George A. Kennedy is the one worth owning. Kennedy has studied classical rhetorical for over three decades and he brings his knowledge of what rhetoric meant in the time of Aristotle to his translation. By the time you get to the first sentence of this translation--"Rhetoric is an antisrophos to dialectic"--you have ample evidence that Kennedy is the ideal translator for this text. You will have gone through a Prooemion, an Introductory essay, a synopsis of the first three chapters of Book 1 before you get to that first sentence, which contains two footnotes detailing the contemporary meanings of "rhetoric" and "antistrophos." More than any other scholar to tackle this project, Kennedy is as well versed in the subject matter as he is the original language. Kennedy's translation also benefits from the fact that it is eminently readable.

Additionally, this volume includes only a glossary and bibliography, but two excellent appendixes. The first consists of Supplementary Texts: (A) Gorgias' "Encomium on Helen," the showcase speech by the leader of the Sophists; (B) Aristotle on "Art as an Intellectual Virtue" from his "Nicomachean Ethics"; (C) "An Introduction to Dialectic" from Aristotle's "Topics"; (D) Cicero's "Description of Aristotle's Synagoge Tekhnon"; (E) Aristotle on "Word Choice and Metaphor" from his "Poetics"; and (F) Kennedy's note on "The Concept of the Enthymeme as Understood in the Modern Period." The second appendix features three Supplementary Essays: (A) "The Composition of the 'Rhetoric'"; (B) "The History of the Text After Aristotle"; and (C) "The Strengths and Limitations of the 'Rhetoric.'" The supplemental works alone would make this the translation to own. Every teacher or student of rhetorical theory/criticism needs to own Kennedy's translation of Aristotle's "On Rhetoric."

4 out of 5 stars relevant even today!.......2001-02-01

Aristotle is amazing in his insight into the human nature. "Aristotle on rhetoric" focuses on what people like, how to talk to them, and how to act around them. However, be forewarned that the reading is not light, many hours can be spent on each chapter. If you are interested in finding out that people are the same today as they were in ancient Greece, read this book!
Aristotle's Voice: Rhetoric, Theory & Writing in America
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Aristotle's Voice: Rhetoric, Theory & Writing in America
    Jasper Neel
    Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    GeneralGeneral | Criticism & Theory | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
    LinguisticsLinguistics | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
    RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
    GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
    All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
    Similar Items:
    1. Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action Practical Reason: On the Theory of Action

    ASIN: 0809319330

    Book Description

    In this book, Jasper Neel’s sure-to-be-controversial resituating of Aristotle centers around three questions that have been constants in his twenty-two years of teaching experience: What does it mean to teach writing? What should one know before teaching writing? And, if there is such a thing as "research in the teaching of writing," what is it?



    Believing that all composition teachers are situated politically and socially, both as part of the institution in which they teach and as beings with lived histories, Neel examines his own life and the life of composition studies as a discipline in the context of Aristotle. Neel first situates the Rhetoric as a political document; he then situates the Rhetoric in the Aristotelian system and describes how professional discourse came to know itself through Aristotle’s way of studying the world; finally, he examines the operation of the Rhetoric inside itself before arguing the need to turn to Aristotle’s notion of sophistry as a way of negating his system.



    By pointing out the connections among Aristotelian rhetoric, the contemporary university, and the contemporary writing teacher, Neel shows that Aristotle’s frightening social theories are as alive today as are Aristotelian notions of discourse.



    Neel explains that by their very nature teachers must speak with a professional voice. It is through showing how to "hear" one’s professional voice that Neel explores the notion of professional discourse that originates with Aristotle. In maintaining that one must pay a high price in order to speak through Aristotle’s theory or to assume the role of "professional," he argues that no neutral ground exists either for pedagogy or for the analysis of pedagogy. Neel concludes this discussion by proposing that Aristotelian sophistry is both an antidote to Aristotelian racism, sexism, and bigotry and a way of allowing Aristotelian categories of discourse to remain useful.



    Finally, as an Aristotelian, a teacher, and a writer, Neel responds both to Aristotle and to professionalism by rethinking the influence of the past and reviving the voice of Aristotelian sophistry.

    The Rhetoric and the Poetics of Aristotle (Modern Library College Editions)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      The Rhetoric and the Poetics of Aristotle (Modern Library College Editions)
      Aristotle
      Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      DramaDrama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Anthologies | British & Irish | Canadian | Children's | Classical & Early | Comedy | Continental European | Eastern | General | Greek & Roman | History | Playwrights, A-Z | Religious & Liturgical | Tragedy | United States
      LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      Greek & RomanGreek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      AncientAncient | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
      jp-unknown1jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
      All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      Arts & PhotographyArts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      Literature & FictionLiterature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      NonfictionNonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      ReferenceReference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Figures of Speech: 60 Ways To Turn A Phrase Figures of Speech: 60 Ways To Turn A Phrase
      2. Cicero: Rhetorica ad Herennium (Loeb Classical Library No. 403) Cicero: Rhetorica ad Herennium (Loeb Classical Library No. 403)
      3. Gorgias (Penguin Classics) Gorgias (Penguin Classics)
      4. Aeschylus I: Oresteia (The Complete Greek Tragedies) Aeschylus I: Oresteia (The Complete Greek Tragedies)
      5. The Complete Greek Tragedies: Sophocles I: Oedipus The King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone The Complete Greek Tragedies: Sophocles I: Oedipus The King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone

      ASIN: 0075546027
      The Art of Rhetoric (Penguin Classics)
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • Ace of Spades
      • Greatness
      • The Art Of Rhetoric
      • Very weak translation of a very important book
      • The Headwaters of the River of Persuasion
      The Art of Rhetoric (Penguin Classics)
      Aristotle
      Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
      GreekGreek | More Languages | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
      Greek & RomanGreek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      PoliticalPolitical | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      AncientAncient | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      GreekGreek | More Languages | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
      RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
      Public SpeakingPublic Speaking | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
      GreekGreek | More Languages | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
      Similar Items:
      1. Cicero on Oratory and Orators (Landmarks in Rhetoric and Public Address) Cicero on Oratory and Orators (Landmarks in Rhetoric and Public Address)
      2. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
      3. A Rulebook for Arguments A Rulebook for Arguments
      4. A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms
      5. Figures of Speech: 60 Ways To Turn A Phrase Figures of Speech: 60 Ways To Turn A Phrase

      ASIN: 0140445102

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Ace of Spades.......2005-12-21

      Holy Crap, its Faulders! My eyes are in disbelief at that chance of that, chance being one of the seven ways things come about in the world of men. We have to talk again, I miss your tutelage. Anyway, Aristotle has all the symptons of his thought fully functional in this treatise; meticulous detail, raging logic, a plethera of topics. But The Art of Rhetoric separates itself with ocean-sized gap from the rest of his work due to its immense practicality. Yes we know all about his logical prowlness, but ever tried to argue with a person who does not use logic? Not easy... But the methods Aristotle outlines to provoke enthusiasm, move crowds, and dominate in court apply to all human beings. Those who read (and reread because it does require that), will notice their communication skills increase drastically. He goes beneath the skin, into the unconscience of humanity to deliver unto us, an ace in up our sleeve, what can only be described as an intagible that will remain present the rest of our lives. The knowledge of rhetoric installs an intrinsic set of skills usefull in all walks of life, in any situation. I myself cannnot recall maybe even a few sentences of his actual work, but I put the book to full use every day of my life now, whether I'm aware of it or not. You need not be a philosphical mind, or have any interest at all in any sort of intellectual discovery, and this book still applies to you. We all need to speak; we all get to where we want to be by speaking. Might as well be good at it don't you think? READ IT AND GET POWERFUL!

      5 out of 5 stars Greatness .......2005-12-20

      How could you not give this book five stars? Aristotle's Rhetoric contains the greatness of an all-time classic and I shall praise the book following Aristotle's instructions on how to praise something (1. 9). The Rhetoric is either the first or among the first books that teaches a speaker how to address an audience. It comes from the time of great scholarly activity in Ancient Greece and clearly exceeds one's expectations. Every page is consistently insightful and each paragraph teaches something new about human nature. We should invent an "Aristotelian Rhetoric" award and give it to speakers who are trying their best to persuade an audience. Finally, Aristotle compares to Shakespeare when it comes to clarifying the deepest and most obvious concerns we all have as human persons.

      The translation of Lawson-Tancred is very readable and clear. His notes before each chapter makes one's reading of the Rhetoric smooth and enjoyable. Two things made me sad when I first opened the book: the chapters have been re-organized and I am depending on the Bekker numbers (ex. 1354a1) to find my way in other texts and the font is kind of tiny. But I do understand that the re-organized chapters logically follow the text and the tiny font becomes easier to read and allows for a modest-sized tome.

      Aristotle writes that we pity the person who cannot enjoy a good thing, and a person who cannot enjoy the Rhetoric certainly ought to be pitied.

      5 out of 5 stars The Art Of Rhetoric.......2005-06-20

      The content of this book is a key to modern democracy understanding, and the art of persuasiveness. The kind of book that you want to make sure your child read. I couldn't put it away. You should read it.

      1 out of 5 stars Very weak translation of a very important book.......2003-10-22

      Both the introduction and the translation by Hugh Lawson-Tancred are very much below the standard one expects from Penguin. Most importantly, the English of the translation is frequently incomprehensible. I advise everyone who wants to study this masterpiece of a book to use another edition, e.g. that of George Kennedy, published by Oxford in 1991, or the Loeb edition. That is, if you want to understand why so many people in so many ages found this book brilliant!

      4 out of 5 stars The Headwaters of the River of Persuasion.......2001-12-28

      As a trial lawyer and a pragmatist, I've long dismissed philosophy as the useless art of contemplating one's navel. That assessment began to change recently when I audited a continuing legal education seminar in which the speaker analyzed trial advocacy on the model of Aristotle's "Rhetoric." His speech was brief and his analysis superficial, but he'd aroused my curiosity. I got this book and read it.

      The general principles Aristotle formulated for forensic rhetoric over 2,000 years ago still hold true in the 21st century courtroom. Some of the specifics have changed (e.g. no torture for slave witnesses), but human nature hasn't, and human persuasion hasn't, either. Aristotle's "Rhetoric" should be required reading for all first year law students. I regret not reading it 30 years ago. Apparently philosphers do more than just stare at their navels.
      Rhetoric, Poetics, and Logic: Library Edition
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Rhetoric, Poetics, and Logic: Library Edition
        Aristotle
        Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Audio Cassette

        Poetry, Drama & Short StoriesPoetry, Drama & Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Nonfiction | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        Inspiration & PhilosophyInspiration & Philosophy | Religion & Spirituality | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        GeneralGeneral | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
        PoetryPoetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | African | Ancient, Classical & Medieval | Anthologies | Asian | Australia & Oceania | British | Canadian | Carribean & Latin American | Chinese | Criticism | Epic | French | General | German | Inspirational & Religious | Irish | Japanese & Haiku | Limericks & Humorous Verse | Love Poems | Middle Eastern | Norse & Icelandic Sagas | Poets, A-Z | Russian | Single Authors | Spanish | United States | Writing
        GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Greek & RomanGreek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        Logic & LanguageLogic & Language | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
        InspirationalInspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
        ASIN: 0786103019
        The Secret History of Emotion: From Aristotle's Rhetoric to Modern Brain Science
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          The Secret History of Emotion: From Aristotle's Rhetoric to Modern Brain Science
          Daniel M. Gross
          Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

          GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
          EmotionsEmotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
          GeneralGeneral | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
          All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
          Similar Items:
          1. Self: Ancient and Modern Insights about Individuality, Life, and Death Self: Ancient and Modern Insights about Individuality, Life, and Death
          2. The Navigation of Feeling: A Framework for the History of Emotions The Navigation of Feeling: A Framework for the History of Emotions
          3. The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity
          4. The Idea of the Self: Thought and Experience in Western Europe since the Seventeenth Century The Idea of the Self: Thought and Experience in Western Europe since the Seventeenth Century
          5. Heidegger And Rhetoric (Suny Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy) Heidegger And Rhetoric (Suny Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)

          ASIN: 0226309797

          Book Description

          Princess Diana’s death was a tragedy that provoked mourning across the globe; the death of a homeless person, more often than not, is met with apathy. How can we account for this uneven distribution of emotion? Can it simply be explained by the prevailing scientific understanding? Uncovering a rich tradition beginning with Aristotle, The Secret History of Emotion offers a counterpoint to the way we generally understand emotions today.

          Through a radical rereading of Aristotle, Seneca, Thomas Hobbes, Sarah Fielding, and Judith Butler, among others, Daniel M. Gross reveals a persistent intellectual current that considers emotions as psychosocial phenomena. In Gross’s historical analysis of emotion, Aristotle and Hobbes’s rhetoric show that our passions do not stem from some inherent, universal nature of men and women, but rather are conditioned by power relations and social hierarchies. He follows up with consideration of how political passions are distributed to some people but not to others using the Roman Stoics as a guide. Hume and contemporary theorists like Judith Butler, meanwhile, explain to us how psyches are shaped by power. To supplement his argument, Gross also provides a history and critique of the dominant modern view of emotions, expressed in Darwinism and neurobiology, in which they are considered organic, personal feelings independent of social circumstances.

          The result is a convincing work that rescues the study of the passions from science and returns it to the humanities and the art of rhetoric.

          Landmark Essays on Aristotelian Rhetoric: Volume 14 (Landmark Essays Series , Vol 14)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Landmark Essays on Aristotelian Rhetoric: Volume 14 (Landmark Essays Series , Vol 14)

            Manufacturer: Lawrence Erlbaum
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
            Movements & PeriodsMovements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Arthurian Romance | Beat Generation | General | Gothic Revival | Medieval | Modernism | Postmodernism | Renaissance | Romanticism | Surrealism | Victorian
            GeneralGeneral | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            Greek & RomanGreek & Roman | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            SpeechSpeech | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Greece | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
            All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            Similar Items:
            1. Green Culture: Environmental Rhetoric in Contemporary America Green Culture: Environmental Rhetoric in Contemporary America
            2. Image Politics: The New Rhetoric of Environmental Activism Image Politics: The New Rhetoric of Environmental Activism
            3. Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages Communicating Nature: How We Create and Understand Environmental Messages
            4. Landmark Essays on Rhetoric of Science: Case Studies: Volume 11 (Landmark Essays, V. 11) Landmark Essays on Rhetoric of Science: Case Studies: Volume 11 (Landmark Essays, V. 11)
            5. And No Birds Sing: Rhetorical Analyses of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring And No Birds Sing: Rhetorical Analyses of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

            ASIN: 1880393328

            Book Description

            There is little doubt that Aristotle's Rhetoric has made a major impact on rhetoric and composition studies. This impact has not only been chronicled throughout the history of rhetoric, but has more recently been contested as contemporary rhetoricians reexamine Aristotelian rhetoric and its potential for facilitating contemporary oral and written expression. This volume contains the full text of Father William Grimaldi's monograph studies in the philosophy of Aristotle's Rhetoric. The eight essays presented here are divided into three rubrics: history and philosophical orientation, theoretical perspectives, and historical impact. This collection provides teachers and students with major works on Aristotelian rhetoric that are difficult to acquire and offers readers an opportunity to become active participants in today's deliberations about the merits of Aristotelian rhetoric for contemporary teaching and research.

            Essays on Aristotle's 
<i>Rhetoric</i> (Philosophical Traditions)
            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
            • El arte de la retórica
            Essays on Aristotle's Rhetoric (Philosophical Traditions)

            Manufacturer: University of California Press
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
            Movements & PeriodsMovements & Periods | History & Criticism | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Arthurian Romance | Beat Generation | General | Gothic Revival | Medieval | Modernism | Postmodernism | Renaissance | Romanticism | Surrealism | Victorian
            GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            History & SurveysHistory & Surveys | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            AncientAncient | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            RhetoricRhetoric | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            SpeechSpeech | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
            All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            Literature & FictionLiterature & Fiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            NonfictionNonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            ReferenceReference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
            Similar Items:
            1. Essays on Aristotle's Poetics Essays on Aristotle's Poetics
            2. On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse
            3. Aristotle on Emotion Aristotle on Emotion
            4. Essays on Aristotle's De Anima Essays on Aristotle's De Anima
            5. Essays on Aristotle's Ethics (Major Thinkers Series ; 2) Essays on Aristotle's Ethics (Major Thinkers Series ; 2)

            ASIN: 0520202287

            Book Description

            Essays on Aristotle's Rhetoric offers a fresh and comprehensive assessment of a classic work. Aristotle's influence on the practice and theory of rhetoric, as it affects political and legal argumentation, has been continuous and far-reaching. This anthology presents Aristotle's Rhetoric in its original context, providing examples of the kind of oratory whose success Aristotle explains and analyzes.
            The contributors--eminent philosophers, classicists, and critics--assess the role and the techniques of rhetorical persuasion in philosophic discourse and in the public sphere. They connect Aristotle's Rhetoric to his other work on ethics and politics, as well as to his ideas on logic, psychology, and philosophy of language. The collection as a whole invites us to reassess the place of rhetoric in intellectual and political life.

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars El arte de la retórica.......2001-07-18

            La colección de artículos que aparecen en este libro resulta de sumo interés para los interesados en la retórica clásica, específicamente en la obra homónima de Aristóteles. Los artículos abarcan las principales materias de la retórica aristotélica: fundamentos teóricos, división de la retórica, los elementos ético, lógico y patético, la teoría de la persuasión, etcétera. Tanto para los expertos en la teoría aristotélica de la persuasión, como para aquellos que se acercan por vez primera a esta apasionante área de conocimiento, este libro le será muy útil y le permitirá hacer una lectura enriquecida con los puntos de vista de los distintos autores.
            The Rhetoric of Aristotle
            Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
            • The Basis of All "Communication" and "Media" Studies
            • The Basis of All "Communication" and "Media" Studies
            The Rhetoric of Aristotle
            Cooper
            Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            GeneralGeneral | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | Classics | Comic | Contemporary | Literary
            MedievalMedieval | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            Similar Items:
            1. Rhetoric in the European Tradition Rhetoric in the European Tradition
            2. On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse
            3. Communication Research: Strategies and Sources (with InfoTrac®) Communication Research: Strategies and Sources (with InfoTrac®)

            ASIN: 0137806922

            Customer Reviews:

            5 out of 5 stars The Basis of All "Communication" and "Media" Studies.......2001-11-03

            Rhetoric is the art of convincing and persuading, which requires not only understanding what it is you want to say, but all the psychological details of the people you want to say it to.....

            If you want an excellent description of all the main human emotions and how they are taken advantage of, or targeted, by everyone from politicians to the common man, check this out.

            This is a classic that cannot be left on the shelf. Parts are a bit dusty, but the rest is still immediately relevant.

            In one way this is a great starting point for any discussion of psychology, propaganda or speech and media. In many ways, this book straight to the heart of the matter, where we nowadays are ineffectually specialized.

            Buy it!

            5 out of 5 stars The Basis of All "Communication" and "Media" Studies.......2001-11-03

            Rhetoric is the art of convincing and persuading, which requires not only understanding what it is you want to say, but all the psychological details of the people you want to say it to.....

            If you want an excellent description of all the main human emotions and how they are taken advantage of, or targeted, by everyone from politicians to the common man, check this out.

            This is a classic that cannot be left on the shelf. Parts are a bit dusty, but the rest is still immediately relevant.

            In one way this is a great starting point for any discussion of psychology, propaganda or speech and media. In many ways, this book straight to the heart of the matter, where we nowadays are ineffectually specialized.

            Buy it!

            Books:

            1. The Alexandria Link: A Novel
            2. The Ambassador's Son (Josh Thurlow Novels)
            3. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
            4. The Color Purple
            5. The Complete Guide to Home Wiring - 3rd Edition: Includes Information on Home Electronics & Wireless Technology (Black & Decker Complete Guide To...)
            6. The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
            7. The Journals of Lewis and Clark (Lewis & Clark Expedition)
            8. The Language of Letting Go (Hazelden Meditation Series)
            9. The Last Mimzy: And Other Stories Originally published as The Best of Henry Kuttner
            10. The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

            Books Index

            Books Home

            Recommended Books

            1. Beating the Dow with Bonds : A High-Return, Low-Risk Strategy for Outperforming the Pros Even When S
            2. The New Outdoor Kitchen: Cooking Up a Kitchen for the Way You Live and Play
            3. The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films
            4. Pacific Mexico Handbook/from the Coast to the Mountains
            5. The Big Book of Wordoku Puzzles: Sudoku for Word Lovers
            6. Tong Lashing: Sir Apropos of Nothing Book 3
            7. The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs: 50 Home-Cooked Recipes for the Health and Happiness of Your Canine
            8. An Introduction to Capital Markets: Products, Strategies, Participants
            9. Practical Data Analysis Volume 1
            10. Manufacturing & Distribution USA: Industry Analyses, Statistics and Leading Companies