Thank You for Arguing: Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Summery

    This chapter started off with talking about disinterested. This was very interesting because you would think you should show your audience you care. But as I kept reading I found “disinterested goodwill” which is just that, it’s caring. When you have disinterested goodwill you make the audience believe that you feel their pain and that you have nothing personal to gain. He also talked about how “disinterest” and “uninterest” are used interchangeable now a days. Even though they are vastly different. In old times politicians running for president would show their disinterest by appearing as if any short of Convention was their first, they would also give away their fortunes and bankrupt themselves to have that up-by-the-bootstraps appeal to show how much they could do. When now a days all our politicians are self interested billionaires. This was a very short chapter but it was packed with a lot of information. One main points was try to make your opinion sound as if you have only reached it after having seen some overwhelming evidence that has changed your mind. Meaning act as if you feel you have to come to this conclusion despite your own desires. It helps make the audience feel as if you are looking out for their best interest. If you can’t convince the audience that way you can talk about how you used to believe your opponent's same beliefs until you found more logical evidence and changed your mind. This can help switch the discussion from values to a more practical discussion. You could also use the tactic where you act as if the choice you have made hurts you personally. An example is “I’m sorry you have to eat carrots. I know you don’t like them and neither do I. But they help your eyesight.” You are empathizing with their problems but at the same time getting them to continue to do it.  The one thing I consider the main point of this chapter is what he labeled “ the best trick of them all: Make it seem you have no tricks”. This I believe is one of the most important things said in the whole book because you can have all the tactics you want but if people think you are trying to trick them they are not going to believe you. This all goes back to trust, there has to be trust. One way to make it seem like you have no ticks up your sleeve is dubitatio. Dubitatio is rhetoric doubt or uncertainty. If you have a little sense of doubt people can emphasize with you because they themselves don't know what to think yet.

Reflection:

    This chapter helped me see that you can have doubt in your argument and still have a convincing argument. It also helped me see that you can show disinterest in the topic. I always thought you had to show you cared, a lot. Or else people would never believe you if you did not believe you. You have to be very confident in your side of the discussion. Connecting with the audience is something you need to do and keep it. If you can’t have trust then you don’t have a discussion they have already made up their minds. I like knowing that I don’t have to be one hundred percent committed or even fully believe in what I am debating. It helps me when I’m debating something I might be on the fence about, but I have to show the audience I am not on the fence but I an on the lawn next to the fence. This chapter was very helpful in showing me how I can still be a person and have doubts in my argument and still have a good argument.