Art of Thinking

P A R T

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Communicate Your Ideas

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ome students will be surprised to find the subject of communication included in a book on thinking because they assume that the two subjects are unrelated. In reality, they are closely related. To begin with, expressing ideas clarifies them. As Mortimer Adler, an American philosopher, explains: “Thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken or written. The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.”* In addition, the kinds of ideas we are concerned with in this book—solutions to problems and issues—are most meaningful when they are communicated to other people. Chapter 14 explains how to present your ideas persuasively. Chapter 15 presents the fundamentals of effective writing and speaking. This chapter order is appropriate for students

ISBN 1-256-46689-1

*Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, rev. ed. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1940, 1972), p. 49.

The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought, Tenth Edition, by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

who have already achieved basic proficiency in writing and speaking and therefore need only an occasional review of fundamentals. (Students who lack that proficiency would do well to read Chapter 15 before Chapter 14.)

ISBN 1-256-46689-1 The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought, Tenth Edition, by Vincent Ryan Ruggiero. Published by Pearson. Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

C H A P T E R

14

Persuading Others

Some people manage to gain support for their views quite readily, even in controversial matters, whereas others meet strong resistance. What is the reason for this difference? Do persuasive people have a special talent that others lack? Or is their success due, instead, to habits and skills they have developed? Although talent is surely a factor, persuasiveness is for...