Which will be sharper, your mind or your tongue?
Every fool can think and speak, or so they think, but you'll be far ahead by taking a few tips from the greatest minds that ever lived.
How to Think Like Plato and Speak Like Cicero may look like two books in one, one on thinking and another on speaking. It is, in fact, a little more than that, since it also looks at the close but fraught relationship between these two profoundly, pre-eminently human activities.
Thinking, however brilliant it may be, is of little use unless it can be communicated to others in such a way that they will be carried by it. Compared to reason, rhetoric may be cheap and manipulative. But it is a necessary evil if we are to achieve worthwhile aims in the world, or simply counter the destructive tendencies of the modern-day sophists.
Although he had scant regard for sophists and other self-interested bamboozlers, Plato did concede that truth is more persuasive when allied with rhetoric, and that dialectic and rhetoric ought to go hand in hand, since 'he who would deceive others, and not be deceived, must exactly know the real likenesses and differences of things.'
Do you want to have all the best arguments? Do you want others to buy into them? Do you want to make an even greater impact and difference? ... In which case, start reading.
In this book, you'll learn:
- What, according to Plato, it really takes to be a good thinker.
- How Cicero literally lost his head (and hands).
- Why persuasion is about a lot more than mere argument.
- How to build emotion into your arguments.
- How to be funny without trying.
- How to speak (and write) with style.
- How to show up your opponent.
- How to deal with a heckler or bullsh*tter.
- And much, much more.
About the author
Dr Neel Burton is a psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine-lover who lives and teaches in Oxford, England. He is a Fellow of Green-Templeton College in the University of Oxford, and the recipient of several book prizes including, most recently, a Best Independent Book Award (2024). His work features regularly in the likes of Aeon and Psychology Today, and has been translated into several languages. He has written two other books on thinking skills and teaches thinking skills in some of England's oldest schools.
Editorial reviews
A brilliant synthesis of classical philosophy and rhetoric that is urgently needed in this age of misinformation.
?KC Finn, USA Today best-selling author
Whether you're a novice or someone already knee-deep in debate, this is a guide for everyone. Very highly recommended.
?Jamie Michele, award-winning author
A surprisingly engaging and relevant look at the wisdom of the ancients.
?CR Hurst, author and teacher of writing
Burton seeks to bridge the gap between ancient philosophy and modern challenges, offering insights that resonate deeply in today's troubled world.
?Plato's Academy Centre, Athens
◆ Grab your copy now for the ultimate classical, liberal education that we never got at school or university.
