Being Emotional Isn't a Form of Debate | Intellectual Takeout

Being Emotional Isn't a Form of Debate | Intellectual Takeout: "“It has become clear, for example, that we are suffering the tragic results of having cut logic and rhetoric from the standard college curriculum. When I say ‘logic,’ I’m not talking about modern ‘symbolic logic,’ which was an attempt to replace ordinary language with mathematical symbols. Nor am I talking about that diffuse, abstract thing called ‘critical thinking.’ We need the logic of ordinary language. And then we need our students to understand the nature and character, the strengths and weaknesses, of classical rhetoric. We need them to distinguish good arguments from bad, valid inferences from invalid, and we need them to recognize various rhetorical appeals and appreciate them for what they are or discount them for what they are not. A critical mass of the citizenry must once more come to recognize basic argumentative fallacies, value logical consistency, and prize the fine art of Socratic dialogue.”"

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