Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion

Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion (2020) is a New York Times bestseller on rhetoric by Jay Heinrichs, a journalist, writer, and publisher who specializes in argumentation methods. The book was published in 14 languages and 4 editions, selling over 500,000 copies. Structured like a manual, it boasts over 100 tools of persuasion and references notable figures such as Cicero, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump (in addition to its titular figures)—all of whom employ rhetoric. Heinrichs portrays rhetoric as a “lost art,” advocating for its revival in discourse and demonstrating its ability to extract truth and improve wellbeing.

Summary

Jay Heinrichs begins Thank You for Arguing by demonstrating that argument is part of human nature (Chapter 1). He then discusses the basics of argument: To shape the outcome of an argument, persuaders need to set both a personal goal (or what they want at the end of their argument) and a goal for the audience deciding whether they want to change their mood, mind, or willingness to act (Chapter 2). Before an argument, the speaker needs to determine the issue at hand (blame, values, or choice), ensuring they use the most effective category of rhetorical persuasion (forensic rhetoric, demonstrative rhetoric, and deliberative rhetoric). Choosing the right tense is the most important decision in any given argument (Chapter 3). Heinrichs then lists the three “megatools” of rhetoric that enable the construction of arguments: logos, the employment of logic; ethos, the employment of character; and pathos, the employment of emotion (Chapter 4).

Chapters 5-8 delve more deeply into the basics of ethos. To be persuasive, a persuader must be decorous or match their audience’s expectations. Heinrichs turns to the three essential qualities of ethos: an appeal to virtue or cause (phronesis), which is when an audience believes a persuader shares their values; practical wisdom or craft, which is when the persuader appears to know the right course of action for every situation; and disinterest (eunoia), which is when the persuader appears unbiased. He then explicates tools that help individuals embody these qualities.

After ethos, Heinrichs turns to the tools of pathos (Chapters 9-10). Argument by emotion can help change an audience’s mood, make them more receptive to the persuader’s logic, and make them emotionally committed to the persuader’s goal. Without emotion, an audience might agree to an argument but might not commit to actual change. The tools of pathos are what arouse commitment.

Heinrichs then focuses on the basics of logos, starting with the importance of commonplace (Chapter 11). Agents do not need to share their audience’s values. Rather, agents can use a commonplace to persuade their audience that they do. Next, Heinrichs turns to framing or the shaping of an argument’s boundaries (Chapter 12). Deductive and inductive logic follow next (Chapter 13). These two logos tools provide the structure for an argument: Deductive logic interprets a given situation with the use of an existing belief or value, whereas inductive logic uses the situation itself to create a belief or value. A logical argument is not enough. The persuader needs a hook to ensure that their audience agrees with them (Chapter 14).

Heinrichs introduces tactics with which individuals can counter logical fallacy. He documents seven deadly logical sins (false comparison, bad example, ignorance as proof, tautology, false choice, the Red Herring or Chewbacca Defense, and the wrong ending), all of which fall into three categories: bad proof, wrong number of choices, and a disconnect between proof and conclusion (Chapter 15). Persuaders can use these sins so long as their audience does not grow wise to them. Heinrichs also introduces eight rhetorical fouls (switching tenses, inflexibility, humiliation, innuendo, threats, nasty language and signs, utter stupidity, and truthiness), all of which fall into three categories: speaking in an incorrect tense, arguing about values or offenses rather than choices, and forcing an opponent out of an argument through humiliation (Chapter 16). These sins make deliberative argument impossible. Heinrichs then focuses on how to use tools of persuasion to spot manipulation (Chapters 17-18) and minimize or shut down bullying (Chapter 19).

Heinrichs moves on to more advanced rhetorical strategies that persuaders can employ to win an argument. He endorses the use of figures of speech, figures of thought, and tropes in Chapters 20-21, which can help with persuasion. While Heinrichs reiterates that rhetoric is morally ambiguous, he demonstrates how some figures, such as tropes, can be used to increase tribalism and divisiveness. Next, he offers advice on the art of an apology—which is to not apologize (Chapter 22). Instead, persuaders should focus on their standards, which will enhance their ethos in an audience’s eyes. Chapters 23-24 focus on kairos or rhetoric timing, which depends on timing and medium. Arguments succeed when persuaders seize the moment with the right medium.

In the final section of the novel, Heinrichs details how to use rhetorical techniques in everyday life. He demonstrates how to employ Cicero’s five canons of persuasion in a contemporary setting by writing a hypothetical short speech (Chapter 25). He goes on to study the rhetoric of Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, who both successfully use the tricks of ancient orators to persuade their audiences (Chapter 26). Heinrichs also uses his son’s college admission essay to demonstrate how rhetoric can make writing more persuasive (Chapter 27). He shows how there is a rhetoric tool for every occasion, from advocating for a promotion to running for president (Chapter 28). He concludes with a plea to incorporate rhetoric into more discussions (Chapter 29).

Heinrichs laments the loss of rhetorical studies in the US education system. He believes this loss drives political polarization, because people have a more difficult time shifting through noise to extract the truth. The solution to this division is for Americans to study rhetoric once more. In doing so, they will no longer fall for logical fallacies or be misled by selfish politicians. People might also develop a greater appreciation for the beauty of humankind as rhetoric encapsulates all that is good and bad about human nature. Heinrichs’s book is an informative map to the art of persuasion as well as an ethical call to arms for the public’s investment in rhetoric to improve the wellbeing of democracy.