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Issue #5

Why Rhetoric?

Some of you may think you don't need persuasive abilities so long as you have the truth on your side. I thought that for quite some time too... until I knew better.

Aristotle has written thoroughly on the importance of rhetoric, but this time I want to draw from my own recent experience.

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If you think rhetoric is not important, try explaining someone a very basic and well-known (not to them) concept, something like the halo effect. The pushback you'll receive - "Oh no, I would never judge people by how they look", yeah sure, Monica - will demonstrate just how important rhetoric is in day to day life.
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People act in highly irrational ways.

They are typically much less open-minded than they perceive themselves to be, and would oppose somethings purely for the sake of opposing, without any seemingly rational cause.

(You're no exception to this, btw, so be on the lookout for this in yourself too. I shall do the same.)

Recently I was telling someone (whom I consider decently, if not extremely bright) that slides help the audience be anchored to a lecture, and that the lack of them may cause the audience to get lost and being unable to find their way back.

I thought this was obvious.

(I still think it is... especially to people who listen to 4 lectures a day.)

But apparently not. The kind of pushback I got... mind-boggling.

"No, I don't think so. I never find it difficult."

What?

And that just reinforced this belief in me... sometimes, it doesn't matter how right you are, or how correct some ideas may be... some people cannot be convinced.

Their minds function like a complex lock, which can't be opened just with the truth, but only with the right key.

Rhetoric is that key.

See ya later,

Ayush