Thank You for Arguing is a sort of study guide to rhetoric, arguments, and exploration. Arguing has several definitions, but Heinrichs pinpoints that arguing for making a claim and forming a consensus, instead of quarreling, is the best and most useful classification. Using the ancient Greek philosophers and their theories, the reader should be able to use the information gathered to succeed, understand, and act more effectively and capably in everyday life.
Seduction and planning are explained in the first part of the book. Even though a person uses logic and arguments, they won’t win the discussion on their own. The audience doesn’t wish to hear to be compelled by reason—they want to be convinced through seduction. Though they might not agree with what the speaker is saying, they might still join that person’s side just because they like them and their character.
Studying Aristotle, the reader is given insight on the three different methods of rhetoric: logos, ethos, and pathos. Logos is about logic and rationality like using statistics and arguments during appropriate moments. Pathos is about the emotions of the audience and speaking to their feelings. Ethos is about the character and the trust of the speaker. Is it a doctor talking about medicine or a mechanical engineer? The doctor will have significantly more ethos than the doctor. Ethos is concluded to be the most important element of winning an argument.
Lastly, Henrichs highlights three key lessons: persuasion, character, and examples. It is important to know how and what the goal of persuasion is. The character of the person is also highlighted, so the person speaking should be respectable and trustworthy. The last point is about examples—using them and detecting bad ones from the opponent. Henrichs explains that a lot of people use irrelevant examples to strengthen their argument, and that people should be able to shut them down and use their opponent’s example for their own gain.
