What a book that was! I shelfed "Thank You for Arguing" by Jay Heinrichs a couple of months ago, thinking it takes on arguing in philosophical matters. But I was wrong.

I have to admit, this book is a baiter. Not good nor bad, but a baiter nonetheless.This book introduces to its reader the art of rethoric and gives you numerous tips on how to use it to achieve your goals by arguing. You wouldn't have concluded that from the title and you would've had to read it to figure it out. Not what I was looking for from this book but it was what I needed.

The author goes on rambling about the notions of rethoric, trying to immerse its importance in your mind. And to a certain extent, it worked. Only two chapters in and I was becoming more conscious about the arguments I encounter daily. It's funny how we got so used to arguing that we sometimes aren't fully aware of it. Couple of pages in and I was able to distinguish the different logos, ethos and pathos techniques that are used in sending a message and I could see its impact... And that brings me to important point.

Rethoric, as it was "marketed" by Heinrichs, seems like a valuable, even powerful tool that is accessible to any human being with more than 80 IQ; which shows the dangerous side of abusing this power. The art of rethoric is the friendlier version of manipulation; Heinrichs tries to sugarcoat and pass it on as aomething natural in human beings, a very bold and debatable assumption.

"let’s not call it manipulation. Call it instruction." (Fun fact: this is a persuasion tool consisting of redefining the used terms.)

"Rhetorical virtue is the appearance of virtue. It can spring from a truly noble person or be faked by the skillful rhetorician. Rhetoric is an agnostic art; it requires more adaptation than righteousness."

I'm not criticizing the author, I think he explained this art in a thorough and entertaining way but I am not fond some of the dangerous aspects of rethoric; the Offensive Tactics. The offensive tactics mainly consist of ethos with a sprinkle of logos and pathos here in there. Some of the strategies are to act like your environment (or fake it) in order to achieve your personal goals. You might be thinking: "Well? What's bad in this thing if a person tries to reshape himself to get a pay raise or a promotion?" There's nothimg particularly bad to reshape the way others see you and attain this superficial moral highground. But there are moral implications when this is about politics.

Jay claims that rethoric can actually save the mess in the American political scene. That might be true, but being a good rethorician doesn't make you a good or strong politician, it would only make truth blurry under layers of deception and manipulation. The author cites sveral tactics and tools that have been used by previous U.S. presidents, regardless of the effectiveness of their policies.

That being said, there are other tools that are equally effective but more ethical, at least from my perspective. These are the defensive tactics. They mainly consist of detecting logical fallacies from your opponent and turn them right back at them in a witty way.

I think this book's importance is that it shows you all the tricks and tips used by professional rethoricians to give you a clearer idea on how to properly argue, and detect and dissect your opponent's arguments.

In addition this book, although a non-fiction, is as entertaining as a fictional book if not more. The comedic anecdotes and comments Jay scatters here in there give you a good chuckle, especially the personal stories of his family. They leave whatever was said engraved in your mind.

"ME: No, dear, a larger box doesn’t make something cheaper. You would save money buying the smaller box.
DOROTHY SR.: Oh.
ME: So do you think maybe you’re sorry for saying I don’t know these things?
DOROTHY SR.: Yes, I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry. It’s clear that I don’t have the math skills to do the shopping. From now on, you’d probably better do it.
   
Oh."

Finally, the organisation of the information in the book is immaculate. At the end of the book there is the list of the mentioned rethorical tools with a brief description that you can check on whenever.

I recommend the book, but it should be read cautiously.

(Sorry if there are any typos)