#rhetoric

#rhetoric

The human brain is engineered to ignore most of what it sees and hears, according to the neuroscientists I interviewed for the audio original Viral Voices. If that's the case, how are you supposed to make a memorable impression? The empowering news is that if you understand how the brain works, what it discards, and what it pays attention to, you'll be far more persuasive than you've ever imagined. Persuasive people have influence in their personal and professional lives.

You have probably lost track of the number of articles about people who have jettisoned family members over contradictory and reprehensible political views. How do we get to the point that educated people, some skilled in philosophical argumentation, fail to make communicative progress with others? As the U.S. sinks further into fascism, why haven't philosophers' arguments against fascism caused fascists to do a regretful volte-face? Are non-fascist philosophers ill-equipped to deal with fascism? I ask those questions mindful of Stanley Cavell's statement that "Nothing a philosopher says can insure that you will not act immorally."

Because of the psychological power of rhetoric, words do matter. Words have both a denotation (the meaning) and a connotation (the emotions and associations invoked). Words that have the same denotation can have very different connotations. For example, "police officer" and "pig" (as slang) have the same denotation but different connotations. As would be expected, the ongoing fight over vaccines involves rhetoric.

The mainstream wing of the Democratic Party is terrified of the leftist faction and has abandoned standing for anything substantial, only opposing President Trump.

Anger does not prove that something is unfair. People can be angry about fair situations or unfavorable situations that are not as unfair as they desire.

"Today you receive one of the most priceless gifts ever granted by human hands. You become a citizen of the United States of America."

Gergen reflected on the power of rhetorical questions, stating, "It's one of those things that you sometimes strike gold. When you're out there panhandling in the river, occasionally you get a gold nugget."

Farnsworth writes that such repetition creates a "hammering effect" that is likely to be remembered. Examples he provides include: "They always will; they always do; they always have." Quoting Charles Dickens for an example, Farnsworth includes "...the most dismal trees in it, and the most dismal sparrows, and the most dismal cats, and the most dismal houses..."

The question "Do you personally know anyone who X?" serves as a rhetorical strategy aimed at creating the illusion that X is uncommon or less serious, impacting public perception.

The appeal to tradition assumes that what makes a belief or practice true is its age; however, defenders rarely select the oldest practices.

Simplicity makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences—making them charm the crowd's ears more finely, according to Aristotle.

The distinction between denotation and connotation is critical; a word's literal meaning differs significantly from its emotional impact, affecting perception and understanding.

I said if you help the Harrigans, the Harrigans will help you. You have not helped the Harrigans. Not at all. Okay? So now I, Kevin here, he's gonna lose his family, I'm gonna lose my family, both of us are gonna die, and others, yeah? Thanks to you, okay, and Eddie. So I don't think it's very fair that you don't share in some of that joy, you understand.