Paul Nervy Notes
“Jokes, poems, stories, and a lot of philosophy, psychology, and sociology.”


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Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  .See also logic, struggling.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  .This section is about rhetoric.  ---  1/24/2006


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  (1) Building your argument complex, building your emotion complex, and planning your tactics.  (2) Analyzing his argument complex, analyzing his emotion complex, analyzing his tactics.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  (1) Hard sell: scare (quietly or loudly), threaten, bully, rush, intimidate, terrorize, pain, make uncomfortable.  (2) Soft sell: happy view, pleasurable experience, seduce.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  (1) Oral vs. written.  (2) Spontaneous, extemporaneous vs. prepared in advance.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Appeals to reason, emotion (pride, greed), and drives.  Conscious and unconscious.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Applications of rhetoric: job interviews, law cases, political speeches.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Arguing, debate, rhetoric.  See also: Sociology, struggling.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Argument.  Definitions, arguments, conclusions.  Yours and others.  Analyzing them.  Attacking them, counter-arguments.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Arguments.  Valid vs. invalid.  True vs. false.  (3) Good vs. bad arguments.  (4) Better vs. worse views.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Assert your argument, protect your argument from attack, attack his arguments.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  At what level of the argument (base vs. conclusions) does a person go wrong, and how.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Audience the arguments take place before, and your intention for them.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Coming to a conclusion.  Without knowing your reasons.  Without knowing the counter-arguments.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Countertactics.  (1) Piss him off: emotional confusion.  (2) Red herrings: rational confusion.  (3) Dominate the conversation.  (4) Use up time: filibuster.  (5) Stone wall, ignore, insult, question them.  (6) Ask them their point of view and cut it apart.  (7) Don't let them side track you.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Ethics of the argument: practicality and importance of an argument or topic.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Forms of discourse: oratory, prose, poetry, art.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Know, make clear, and attack all counter-arguments.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Planning the argument.  Before.  During (thinking on feet).  After (better late than never?).  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Power + persistence = effect.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Power of an argument, effectiveness of an argument.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Recognize, define, and state the problems in a situation.  State important issues in a situation, or on a subject.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Seeing all factual information: things, relationships, etc.  Seeing all ethical stances.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Seeing and knowing both sides of an issue vs. not.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Tactics.  (1) Fight hard and smart.  (2) Counterattacks.  Emotion pleas, red herrings, yes men, interruption.  (3) Thought: search for any truths, hammer them in, support it.  (4) You are always right, he is always wrong.  Kick ass, get justice.  (5) Argue fully, forcefully, persuasively.  (6) Prepare it in advance: mental outline, written notes.  (7) Emotion through voice (volume, timbre, rate), body (gestures), face (gestures).  (8) Use gut feeling to feel power of argument combos.  (9) Find your best, most effective personal style.  (10) Mixing tactics.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Tactics.  (1) Skill and subtlety of destruction.  (2) Be a detective, lawyer, judge, executioner, all in one.  (3) What you say (idea), and how you say it (skill).  (4) Tactics: find the truth, gather information, ask questions.  (5) Statements, questions, answers.  (6) Most important ideas, in most important order.  (7) Every link should be strong, with no weak links.  (8) Attitude: confident.  (9) Setting best tones: serious, angry, righteous wrath.  (10) Body language: jibe with words, add force.  (11) Rev them up.  (12) Associate him with pain.  Associate you with pleasure and justice.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  The war in your head, and between people.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  The war of thinking, saying, and doing.  Ideas, words, and actions.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Unspoken philosophical implications: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Valid counter arguments: things to keep rightfully keep in mind.  Invalid counter arguments: just plain wrong.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  What is rhetoric?  (1) A means for an end.  (2) A subject, issue/problem/question, view, argument.  (3) Persuasion, convincing people, sales.  (4) Thought and emotion, i.e., an attitude.  (5) Verbal struggling, argument.  ---  12/30/1992


Sociology, communication, rhetoric.  ---  Why (purpose, importance).  (1) Get goals, get catharsis, get justice.  (2) Protection from attacks.  (3) We do it naturally, well or poorly.  ---  12/30/1992




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Paul Nervy Notes. Copyright 1988-2007 by Paul Nervy.