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- Herausgeber: Lebooks Editora
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
The Art of Being Right: 38 Ways to Win an Argument by Arthur Schopenhauer is a sharp, ironic treatise on the techniques people use—fairly or unfairly—to prevail in debate. Rather than prescribing ethical discourse, Schopenhauer dissects rhetorical strategies commonly employed to dominate discussions, regardless of truth or logic. With wit and keen psychological insight, he exposes how arguments are often won through manipulation, distraction, or appeals to emotion rather than sound reasoning. Though brief, the work remains strikingly relevant in today's world of political discourse, social media, and public debate. Schopenhauer's tone is deliberately cynical, highlighting the gap between logical argumentation and human behavior. By cataloguing these 38 methods, he offers not only a manual for recognizing fallacious tactics but also a commentary on the nature of ego and intellectual dishonesty. The enduring appeal of The Art of Being Right lies in its dual function: it serves both as a satirical guide to debate and as a philosophical reflection on human competitiveness and the value we place on being right—often more than being truthful.
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Seitenzahl: 49
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Arthur Schopenhauer
THE ART OF BEING RIGHT
38 WAYS TO WIN AN ARGUMENT
Contents
INTRODUCTION
THE ART OF BEING RIGHT
The Extension
The Homonymy
Generalize your Opponent's Specific Statements
Conceal Your Game
False Propositions
Postulate What Has To Be Proved
Yield Admissions Through Questions
Make Your Opponent Angry
Questions in Detouring Order
Take Advantage of The Nay-Sayer
Generalize Admissions of Specific Cases
Choose Metaphors Favourable to Your Proposition
Agree to Reject the Counter-Proposition
Claim Victory Despite Defeat
Use Seemingly Absurd Propositions
Arguments Ad Hominem
Defense Through Subtle Distinction
Interrupt, Break, Divert the Dispute
Generalize the Matter, Then Argue Against it
Draw Conclusions Yourself
Meet him With a Counter-Argument as Bad as His
Petitio principii
Make Him Exaggerate his Statement
State a False Syllogism
Find One Instance to The Contrary
Turn The Tables
Anger Indicates a Weak Point
Persuade the Audience, Not The Opponent
Diversion
Appeal to Authority Rather Than Reason
This is Beyond Me
Put His Thesis Into Some Odious Category
It Applies in Theory, But Not in Practice
Don't Let Him Off The Hook
Will is More Effective Than Insight
Bewilder Your Opponent by Mere Bombast
A Faulty Proof Refutes His Whole Position
Become Personal, Insulting, Rude
INTRODUCTION
Arthur Schopenhauer
1788 – 1860
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher best known for his work The World as Will and Representation, and for his profound pessimism and influence on later existentialist and psychological thought. Born in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), Schopenhauer developed a metaphysical theory that placed the irrational "will" at the core of existence, offering a counterpoint to the rationalist optimism of his contemporaries. Though largely unrecognized during much of his lifetime, his writings gained significant attention later in the 19th century, influencing figures such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, and Thomas Mann.
Early Life and Education
Arthur Schopenhauer was born into a wealthy merchant family. His father, Heinrich Floris Schopenhauer, intended for him to become a businessman, but Arthur eventually turned to academia after his father's death. He studied philosophy at the University of Göttingen and later at the University of Berlin, where he was deeply influenced by Plato, Kant, and Eastern philosophies—particularly Buddhism and Hinduism. These influences would shape his central philosophical ideas, especially his concept of the “will” as a blind, irrational force driving all existence.
Career and Contributions
Schopenhauer’s magnum opus, The World as Will and Representation (1818), argues that reality is driven not by reason or divine order, but by an irrational and insatiable will. He posited that human suffering stems from this will, which compels individuals toward endless striving and dissatisfaction. Aesthetic contemplation, ascetic living, and compassion were, for him, the few ways to momentarily escape suffering.
Initially, his work was largely ignored, overshadowed by more dominant philosophers like Hegel, whom Schopenhauer despised. He famously scheduled his university lectures at the same time as Hegel’s in Berlin—only to find his classroom empty. However, in the 1850s, as intellectual tastes shifted, interest in his writings surged. His clear prose, literary style, and unflinching exploration of suffering attracted writers, artists, and thinkers seeking a more honest confrontation with human nature.
Impact and Legacy
Schopenhauer is now regarded as one of the most significant 19th-century philosophers. His ideas anticipated key themes in existentialism, psychoanalysis, and nihilism. Friedrich Nietzsche initially admired him, and Sigmund Freud’s theory of the unconscious bears traces of Schopenhauer’s concept of the will. In literature, his pessimism and metaphysical insights influenced figures such as Leo Tolstoy, Marcel Proust, and Thomas Mann.
His work also bridged Western and Eastern thought, introducing European readers to ideas from the Upanishads and Buddhist texts. His vision of a world driven by blind desire and suffering resonated with modern disillusionment, making him a prophet of the existential crises that would define much of 20th-century philosophy and art.
Arthur Schopenhauer died in 1860 at the age of 72, having lived his later years in Frankfurt, where he finally gained recognition and a modest following. Though he experienced little fame in his early life, his posthumous influence was immense. Today, Schopenhauer is considered a cornerstone in the history of Western thought—a thinker who challenged comfortable illusions with a brutally honest vision of the human condition.
His legacy persists in the philosophical and cultural spheres, from psychology to literature and beyond. His emphasis on suffering, will, and the limitations of human knowledge continues to provoke reflection, offering a counterbalance to more idealistic visions of human potential.
About the work
The Art of Being Right: 38 Ways to Win an Argument by Arthur Schopenhauer is a sharp, ironic treatise on the techniques people use—fairly or unfairly—to prevail in debate. Rather than prescribing ethical discourse, Schopenhauer dissects rhetorical strategies commonly employed to dominate discussions, regardless of truth or logic. With wit and keen psychological insight, he exposes how arguments are often won through manipulation, distraction, or appeals to emotion rather than sound reasoning.
Though brief, the work remains strikingly relevant in today's world of political discourse, social media, and public debate. Schopenhauer’s tone is deliberately cynical, highlighting the gap between logical argumentation and human behavior. By cataloguing these 38 methods, he offers not only a manual for recognizing fallacious tactics but also a commentary on the nature of ego and intellectual dishonesty.
The enduring appeal of The Art of Being Right lies in its dual function: it serves both as a satirical guide to debate and as a philosophical reflection on human competitiveness and the value we place on being right—often more than being truthful.
