How to Use Aristotle's Organon as a Cudgel

Beating back bad arguments and the charlatans behind them using the works they have pretended to read

ἡ ῥητορική ἐστιν ἀντίστροφος τῇ διαλεκτικῇ

In a prior article, the newsworthy topic of whether Rome existed seemed to be a good cause to write about the use of rhetoric to defend one’s beliefs. Now that some time has passed, the methods of persuasion to be used “on offense” ought to be more clearly articulated.¹

It is an unfortunate trait of the human condition that objective fact cannot be empirically observed. The tools we have to make judgments about the nature of the universe are our 5 senses and a sound mind. On occasion, certain valid observations about our world can lead humanity astray; goodness knows how many millions of humans have been subjugated and enslaved because of their role on a man-made social hierarchy. Most of the time, though, vicious people intentionally take advantage of a group’s understanding of one phenomenon or another in order to make a quick buck. Assuming one knows these things to be false, here are a few ways to break down arguments into components so that any layman can plainly see the deception at work.