I really really enjoyed the last section of the chapter titled “So it’s bad, So what?” I sort of touched on this point in my previous post just going off the structural and content fallacies. What this section is saying, and what I want to elaborate on, is the fact that while argumentation and having the ability to point out these specific fallacies is a very beneficial skill that will do nothing but help you make the right decisions in your life, at the same time if you end up being that guy who cannot stop pointing out other peoples faults within their arguments, people will ultimately not want to talk to you; especially if you’re really good at it. The end of this section talks about how most people usually do not realize when they how steered away from their original premises, or their conclusion for that matter. When you confront someone and tell them that they do not have a strong or valid argument, what can they say back? The goal, as Epstein writes, is to educate. Do not point out the persons faults but maybe ask question to lead towards either figuring it out themselves or to a point where they ask you what you think. I have had major success with a person and completing goals and tasks after having a conversation where they essentially have an epiphany of why they were wrong in the way they went about an argument or something of that sort.
Now there are always the going to be those people who just do not want to listen, or step outside the box. The section also talks about them. When a person’s argument is misleading, manipulative, and one sided, he or she has violated the principle of Rational Discussion and unfortunately either needs to learn the hard way, or drop it. I feel sorry for people who do not have empathy.
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